PRISON BREAK: A Tribute and Final Review For TV's Craziest Adventure

- Whenever I talk about the best shows on television, there are of course the usual suspects like Lost and 24. But for four years now, there's been a show that some would call a guilty pleasure, but others, those of us who get it (Stephen King even called it his favorite TV show!) place in that same tier of truly must-see TV. We would call this show a high-octane thrill ride, a balls-to-the-wall action-adventure that rarely fails to entertain. We'd call it a show that has some of TV's coolest heroes and most vile villains. That show is PRISON BREAK, and I am here to give one of TV's best series the send-off it deserves. Because, man, it's been one hell of a run.

I remember sitting down to watch Prison Break's pilot episode with my brother one late summer night while visiting the family in CT. Fox had seemed to bill the show as the second coming of 24, and though both of us may have been slightly skeptical going in, you had to be impressed by the ambitious premise. I mean, so many shows are built around the most generic of ideas - doctors, lawyers, cops - how many shows come out of the gate with a high-concept plot about a guy trying to break his framed brother out of a maximum-security prison? I wish more series had the guts to aim for something similarly original. Anyways, as we sat down to watch that first episode, I remember kind of taking it in, digesting everything that was going on, figuring out the many characters introduced to us, from the McGuyver-esque Michael Scofield to the deranged inmate Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell. But I also remember that, when the episode was over, my brother and I shared a similar thought: "wow, that was actually pretty damn cool." From that moment on, we were hooked.

Season 1 of Prison Break was great from start to finish. For one thing, the show was one of the few on TV that could match the intensity of 24. For another, it introduced a hero almost as fun to watch as Jack Bauer - that being Michael Scofield. Wentworth Miller helped make Scofield into one of the most iconic TV characters of the last several years - a brilliant structural engineer who was cool as ice under pressure and always, *always* had a plan. Scofield faced down countless dangers with a nod and a smile. Not to mention his uncanny ability to fashion explosives out of common household items. In Season 1 of the show, one of the main gimmicks was the fact that Scofield had actually tattooed his entire body with a complex series of symbols that actually served as coded plan by which to escape the prison where he and his brother were being held. What could have been cheesy instead became a fun-to-decipher plot point. At the same time though, Prison Break never exactly played things safe ...

... Because part of what made PB so great was that it had absolutely zero shame in being over-the-top, crazy, and basically a weekly B-movie in the best sense of the word. Season 1 never pretended to be a straightforward drama. There were the crazy tattooes. There was action-movie icon Stacy Keach as the badass prison warden. And then there was T-Bag ...

I mean, what other show on TV (let alone network TV) would feature a rascist, bisexual, hillbilly redneck serial killer as one of its featured characters? T-Bag has to be one of the most bat-$%#* insane characters ever on TV, and also one of the most entertaining. His Southern-fried drawl, strange facial ticks, and penchant for speaking in very, um, "colorful" prose made him a villain who you couldn't help but love to hate - even root for at times. But, T-Bag also served an important role on the show - he was there to show that this wouldn't be a series simply about heroic characters who don't deserve to be imprisoned. This would, in fact, be a show with a lot of moral ambiguity. Even our hero, Scofield - if in order to free his brother, he had to work with and in some sense enable the likes of a T-Bag - what did that say about the ends justifying the means? To its credit, the show consistently kept this theme at the forefront of the writing even up until the final episode -- they reminded us that, even though Michael *could* have destroyed Scylla and ran as Mahone suggested, ultimately had *had* to do some good with it, otherwise all of his stuggles would have really been for nothing.

Speaking of Mahone, a lot of people prematurely dismissed Season 2 of PB simply because they didn't think the show needed to continue post-breakout. But it turned out that having the convicts on the run was equally as fun as having them in jail. A huge part of why the season worked was William Fichtner as Alex Mahone - aka one of the most badass characters on TV. As a relentless but unstable FBI agent with an ultra-violent, semi-psychotic streak, Mahone was the perfect foil for the ever elusive Scofield. With Fichtner on board from Season 2 on, PB got an instant injection of 100%, pure gravitas - a dosage that would make Jack Bauer himself just a little bit jealous.

Mahone was one of a number of the show's great characters. Lincoln Burrows was in many ways the perfect compliment to his brother (or not-quite-brother) Michael. He was like the Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart to Scofield's Bret "The Hitman." (yeah! 80's WWF references!). The muscle behind the brains, if you will. Fernando Sucre became a fan favorite because he was basically the good-hearted guy who just wanted to reuinite with his family, but who, at the same time, would risk anything to help Michael. Dr. Sara Tancredi was the prison doctor with a heart of gold, who also had a dark side that included drug additiction and alcoholism. And who can forget Brad Bellick, a sad-sack prison guard who was a c-grade thug and the classic loser / lackey. Brad was a classic, Stephen King-esque character, who you had to root for almost out of pity. In addition, each season tended to have its own breakout characters - many of whom took a little while to really hit home with the audience, but who soon became indespensible to the show's mythology.

Season 1 had Abruzze - a silent-but-violent gang leader who was played memorably by the great Peter Stormaire. There was C-Note, a hardened con also looking after his family's interests. It also had Robin Tunney as Veronica, the intrepid girlfriend to Lincoln, and Charles Westmoreland, an old-timer said to actually be the famed criminal D.B. Cooper . And as mentioned, Stacy Keach, who pretty much just plain rules it. Later came Mahone, and Paul Kellerman - another great villain who made a surprise return in the series finale. There was Lechero, who took on a large role as the imposing boss of a Panamanian prison - that served as the setting for much of Season 3. As the mythology of the show deepened to include the conspiratorial schemes of The Company, we in turn were introduced to some of the show's most memorable antagonists. There was the sinister head of The Company - The General, Michael's own treacherous mother, Christina Rose, and of course, one of the show's best characters - Gretchen. Gretchen evolved into one of the most fun and downright evil characters out there - always one step ahead of everyone else, tough as nails, and willing to do pretty much anything if it meant coming out on top. As played with tons of femme fatale cruelty by Jodi Lynn O'Keefe, Gretchen was easily one of the best things about the show as it progressed through seasons 3 and 4. Season 4 also brought in Michael Rappaport as Agent Don Self, a smart-assed FBI Agent who at first worked with Scofield and co, only to betray them for his own selfish reasons.

As you can see, the show had no shortage of memorable characters. Most shows would kill to have so many great heroes and villains, and yet Prison Break seemed to never be in short supply of fresh new faces. They also consistently cast actors who seemed to have a ton of fun with the show's unabashed campiness. I mean, PB put each of its characters through hell, and yet the actors always seemed game for just about anything.

TV will simply be a lot less awesome without PB on the air. Not many other shows have or will ever dare to be as insane, as twisted, as action-packed, or as full of twists and turns, as Prison Break. PB is that rare show that didn't really play by any "rules" of TV and therefore left you with almost no idea of what to expect episode to episode. And as I'm about to get into, the show never really let up throughout its four years. Even if there was a little drop in quality towards the end, the finale more than made up it.

Which brings me to:

PRISON BREAK - Series Finale Review:

- Wow, what a way to close the book on Prison Break. Previously in this post, I've talked extensively about why this show has been so thoroughly entertaining throughout its four year run. So for now, I'll keep this review short and just say this: after a couple of episodes that didn't feel like PB at its best, the show rebounded completely for its final installment - delivering a blistering finale that was an exciting, sad, and fitting finish to a great series. This was one hell of a double-sized episode.

Part of what made this episode work so well was that literally every major character had their big moment. One of the biggest complaints over the last several weeks was that characters like Mahone, Self, and T-Bag at times seemed merely along for the ride, with no real reason to still be hanging around after all this time. Because they were not the focus of the plot, characters like Mahone and T-Bag started to feel a bit watered-down. I mean, what good was Mahone if he wasn't the unstable ass-kicker that we knew and loved? What was the point of T-Bag if he wasn't the psycho-killer that we knew he could and should be? Well ... those complaints were handily addressed in this finale. Mahone's conflicted emotions over Scylla were put in the spotlight here - we saw that, while he had become loyal to the Scofield and Burrows, he also wanted a way out of all the craziness. But we also saw Mahone as the uber-badass. I mean, holy crap, when Mahone was stuck in a room with the ultra-evil Christina and her henchmen, and had to kick some ass in order to see Michael's plan through to completion ... well, come on, who *didn't* want to stand up and cheer when William by-god Fichtner took the %#$@ down. What an awesome moment.

Same goes for T-Bag in this ep - Bagwell's scenes with a held-hostage Sarah were vintage Prison Break, aka a glimpse of the old-school T-Bag, the guy who, before becoming something of a comic foil, was in fact deadly, creepy, and downright disturbing. How the writers consistently came up with the sketchiest things ever for T-Bag to say I do not know, but man, has he said some disturbingly quotable lines over the years.

Even Don Self was pretty kickass, continuing from his strong showing last week in which he showed glimpses of the Self from earlier this season, who was fun to root for and a nice compliment to the rest of the cast. His final "kiss my ass" to the FBI agents dogging him for information was pretty great.

This ep also had some bigtime returns. Sucre's eventual return was pretty much a given, but I didn't guess that Michael's longtime ally would be paired with a returning C-Note. It was a lot of fun watching the two reunited amigos swoop in to save the day, and it was cool to see some resolution given to their long-running storylines. Kellerman's return was a big surprise - I was definitely shocked to see him back in the mix,although the return made sense and worked well as a plot device to help get Michael and co out of a seemingly impossible situation. I like the fact that Kellerman legitimately helped Michael and exposed the Company, but at the same time isn't some great altruist - clearly, his actions helped further his burgeoning political career, having him follow in the semi-shady footsteps of his old vice-presidential mentor.

And again, I really have to give some credit to Kathleen Quinlan as Michael's uber-bitch of a mother, Christina. At first, I hated the idea of Michael's mom emerging as a big bad, and the character seemed like an unnecessary addition to the mix for a while. But, Quinlan made the character SO impossibly evil that I don't know if I've ever rooted harder for a television villain to get taken down. "Born a Scofield, die a Burrows!" Damn.

Finally, the show did a nice job bringing home the relationship between the brothers Scofield and Burrows. They nicely showed that even if they are not, in fact, related by blood, the two have a strong bond that keeps them fighting for one another through thick and thin. After a couple of somewhat flat attempts to put the two at odds, it was nice for both to once again be on the same page. Plus, Lincoln got off one of the lines of the night when he called out his wicked stepmother for being a psycho-%#&$.

One more thing this episode excelled at - giving us Michael Scofield at his best - making intricate plans in high-pressure situations, using his wits to outthink his opponents, pushed to the limit and yet able to overcome impossible odds.

The ending of this climactic episode was breathtaking. Finally, a happy ending for our heroes. Lincoln was reunited with Sophia and LJ. Sucre and C-Note were free to be with their families. Mahone was a free man. T-Bag got his ultimate reward - a trip back to Fox River penitentiary and a return to a life behind bars. Self, tragically, ended up broken and vegetative following his run-in with The Company. And Michael and Sarah, well, they *seemed* to have their storybook ending. They were free, exonerated, ready to live life, start a family, and move on and into a normal, peaceful life. Only an ominous nosebleed from Michael hinted that something might be a bit off. But the shocking revelation of the finale's four-years-later flash-forward was that this happy ending was not meant to be. We saw the characters gather and reunite - we assume it's a happy occasion, but then the truth is revealed: they met to visit the grave of Michael Scofield.

Michael's death was shocking, sad, but in many ways appropriate for the show. It showed that, ultimately, Michael had sacrificed himself for the greater good - ultimately, his legacy was this group of free, happy people who before they met him were on a path of destruction. But as for Michael, well, he could escape a maximum-security prison, but he couldn't escape death.

Of course, there are still a few questions about what happened to Michael, and a nagging feeling that there might be more to his apparent death than meets the eye. Michael always had a trump card to play, so who knows, perhaps he does have a trick or two up his sleeve. I suspect this will be revealed in the upcoming Prison Break special - "The Final Break" - but for now, the great thing about this ending is that it feels like a perfect finale even if, at the same time, it leaves things open for one final adventure.

But man, what an amazing episode of television. It's a testament to the writers and actors and the rest of the show's crew that PB rarely stopped being fun, it rarely stopped being exciting, and it always was home to a cast of characters that you either rooted for or loved to hate, and, sometimes, both. Like I said, it was one hell of a ride.

My Grade: A

STAR TREK - Reviewed! A Vulcan Death Blog Written by Baram Prime

STAR TREK Review:

- While Wolverine started off the Summer '09 movie season with a whimper, STAR TREK shifts things into warp drive. What JJ Abrams and co. have done with this franchise relaunch is in many ways remarkable - they've taken the core concepts and iconography of the original series and simultaneously paid homage to what's come before while reinventing the brand for a new generation. The new Star Trek is exactly what it needed to be: a legitimate blockbuster adventure movie that is a slick and fun dose of pop culture sci-fi. While it may not be up for an Oscar anytime soon, it is a great example of blockbuster, franchise filmmaking done right.

In many ways, I probably fall into the key demo that this movie was aiming to please -a guy open to liking Star Trek but in need of a fresh reason to really invest in this universe. I never 100% got the appeal of the original Star Trek series. I liked the concept and some of the characters, but to me the old series felt like a relic of the 60's - a campy throwback that lacked the darkness or intelligence or complexity of The Next Generation. I was just barely old enough to begin to appreciate TNG during its original run, but I've caught a lot of the classic episodes in reruns and on DVD (I love all the Borg stuff), and enjoyed the last couple of TNG movies (love First Contact). Patrick Stewart is easily one of my favorite actors, and someone who can elevate the material he works with. Stewart is essentially an instant dose of gravitas, and I worried that the new Trek might suffer without an actor of his caliber in one of the lead roles.

Luckily for Abrams, his new cast steps up to the plate and delivers. Again, I don't think that Chris Pine or Zachary Quinto is going to be up for an Oscar anytime soon, but the cast is a happy medium between the more generic CW-style stars and legit thespians. I mean, when you've got guys like Karl Urban and Simon Pegg in supporting roles, kicking ass and entertaining as Bones and Scotty respectively, you know that you're in pretty good hands. Still, with Shatner and Nimoy, you had two actors who were instantly iconic, and I don't know if anyone in this cast is quite at that level. But, luckily, Nimoy is on-hand as Spock Prime to infuse the movie with a bit of that old-school presence.

Nimoy's presence is both a blessing and a curse. Personally, I love that the movie addresses the series' past continuity and ties into what's come before. The time-travel plot is an elegant solution to avoid a complete reboot. In essence, the movie explains that this new version of the OG Enterprise crew exists in an alternate timeline than the original Kirk and Spock, after some time-travel shenanigans caused a divergence from the original's history. The movie doesn't dwell too much on the particulars of time-travel, but hey, if you subscribe to the theory that every alternate timeline exists as its own separate reality in an infinite multiverse (as seen on JJ Abrams' FRINGE), then you can take comfort in the fact that the reality in which the original Kirk and Spock, as well as Picard, Janeway, and the rest, had their adventures still exists parallel to this new timeline. (And interestingly, since the timeline divergence takes place post-"Enterprise," I guess we can assume that Scott Bakula and his crew's adventures remain intact in both the old and new timelines? See - nobody messes with Backula!). ANYWAYS, as I was saying, the whole time-travel thing works fairly well and, mainly, it allows the great Leonard Nimoy (arguably the best thing about the original series), to reprise his iconic role as Spock (now "Spock Prime"). Seeing Nimoy don the pointy ears and bowl-cut once again is great, and it's cool to think that young kids who see this movie will get a glimpse of the older series and have their curiosity piqued. BUT ... you have to wonder, who will inherit Spock Prime's elder-statesman mantle in future installments? By this I mean, the new cast has no single character who brings that same kind of gravitas to the table. So if an 80 year old Nimoy has to carry the load in this one, who is going to do it in a Part 2 or 3?

Again though, the new cast is really quite good. Pine is fun as Kirk, Zachary Quinto pretty much nails it as the younger Spock, and everyone else from Urban, to Pegg, to Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike, is excellent. A bit baby-faced? Sure. But the cast excels at the movie's rapid-fire banter, swashbuckling action and adventure, and there is a good sense of comraderie / tension between the principles.

What I really liked though was how the movie gave us insightful glances into Kirk and Spock's past, but at the same time didn't dwell *too* much on their origins. I loved the glimpse of Kirk as a kid driving around a futuristic midwest, stopped by a robo-cop in an early display of youthful rebellion. I loved seeing a pint-sized Spock on Vulcan, teased mercilessly (yet unnervingly logically) by his peers for being half-human. What these scenes helped to do was to establish Kirk and Spock as being not just generic characters, but icons. Abrams and co deftly play off of the fact that we know that these characters are / will become legends. So even if the new actors are not yet as iconic and larger than life as their predecessors, the characters that they play are given that built-in mythic quality. Abrams has a lot of fun with all of the fan-favorite aspects of Star Trek lore. From Bones' "dammit, Jim", to Spock's Vulcan death-grip, to Nimoy's repetition of his "I shall always be ... your friend" speech from Wrath of Khan, to the mission statement to boldly go where no one has gone before ... all of the little moments that you'd want to see included are here. Kirk even gets down n' dirty with a strikingly green alien lady-friend, in a fun homage to the original series. So even as old-school fans will enjoy the references to classic Star Trek lore, new fans will instantly be clued in to all these moments as being somehow important and iconic. Abrams and co are not slaves to the mythology, but they do pay loving tribute to it.

To that end, I also enjoyed how Abrams, well, spruces things up. Visually, he gives his Star Trek a glossy, shiny sheen that fits the franchise's utopian, optimistic brand of futurism. Plus, he imbues the movie with a sense of imagination that has typically been the hallmark of that *other* franchise with "Star" in its title. We get all kinds of cool creatures in the movie, from odd-looking aliens aboard the Enterprise to fearsome snow-beasts on remote planets. We get sprawling Starfleet bases on earth and ominous, intricate chambers on Vulcan. Aside from the badass Borg designs in First contact, rarely has Trek looked this slick. In addition, the score is stirring and epic - a great compliment to Jerry Goldsmith's classic soundtrack.

With so much going on, it was inevitable that parts of the film would feel slightly rushed. The biggest rush-job involves the main villain, a time-travelling Romulan with an axe to grind named Nero. Nero seems to have a lot of potential as a badguy, and Eric Bana plays him as mean and imposing. But we don't get a true sense of his motivations other than a somewhat standard-issue revenge scheme. In the original Trek timeline, it appears that Nero's planet of Romulus was blown to smithereens, and Nero blames Spock for the tragedy. So after travelling back to the past, Nero intends to blow up rival planet Vulcan to spite his hated pointy-eared nemesis, who also ends up in the past. The plan is a bit convoluted and never quite makes sense, but hey, it ultimately serves the needs of the script. By the same token, Abrams and co. obviously wanted to end the movie with Kirk as Captain and the crew of the Enterprise locked and loaded for further installments. Problem is, within a very short time-span, Kirk goes from a nobody to a Captain in what feels like a pretty compacted timeline. Again, it all feels a bit rushed, and there are times when it's clear that the movie is intent on simply getting us from Point A to Point B, without a whole lot of consideration for how we get there. Suffice it to say, when it comes to some aspects of the movie, the viewer is asked to make a few leaps of logic and to fill in a lot of gaps (some of which I hear are filled-in in the prequel comic book series ...?).

In the end though, the structure that the script serves turns out to be fairly brilliant. Even if there are some bumps in the road to get to that ultimate end-point, the magic of this movie is that, without negating the history of the franchise, we end up with a Star Trek that is polished up, refurbished, and reborn for a new generation. The iconography of Kirk, Spock, and the spirit of the original series is restored to its former glory, and yet at the same time it's a movie that accomplishes all of this in a way that is completely accessible for newbies. In many ways, this IS your father's Star Trek, but kids watching this one will never suspect it. From the moment the film kicks off with its spectacularly exciting opening, new and old fans alike will be hooked.

Most importantly, the movie got me excited about Star Trek. It made me want to revisit the old series and speculate about what a Part 2 might have in store. This movie, if nothing else, took Spock and Kirk back from the geek ghetto, and restored their status as pop-culture icons for the masses. The franchise is healthy once again, and I think it will, indeed, live long and prosper.

My Grade: A-

TV Season Finale Madness! FRINGE! SMALLVILLE! THE OFFICE! 30 ROCK! PRISON BREAK!

Well, after basically talking and thinking about LOST all day, you'd think I'd be TV'd out. But no, loyal readers, being the intrepid purveyor of pop-culture wisdom that I am, I'm back to deliver another round of reviews for your reading pleasure.

And like I said yesterday, there's a lot to talk about. Season finales out the wazoo. So, let's get to it.


FRINGE Season Finale Review:

- I've said this numerous times over the last several weeks, but I'll say it again: it really is amazing how good of a show Fringe has become in such a short time. For the first half of it's freshman season, Fringe seemed like a series with a lot of potential but a lot of question marks as well. What was it really about? What, if anything, was the overarching mytharc that was driving the story forward? Who were these characters, and why should we care about them? It took a while for the show to really find its legs in this regard. But, when it did, things really got cooking.

In my last review of Fringe, I said that where Lost's storytelling style is somewhat abstract, part of what I'm loving about Fringe is that it is telling a huge, high-concept sci-fi story in a remarkably straightforward manner. Don't get me wrong - like Lost, Fringe is packed with mysteries. But with Fringe, especially over these last several episodes, this is some TIGHT storytelling. It's dense, packed with brain-stretching concepts ... but the show has been great about adhering to its own continuity, about putting the pieces of the puzzle into place and building each week upon the previous week's foundation. Fringe makes you think, but it's never really *confusing*. It's been a pleasure to just watch it over these last several eps and just put your faith in the hands of the writers and producers. Again, it took a while for Fringe to hit that top-tier, A-level of quality. But once it finally did, the show has never looked back.

Tuesday's season-ender was a HUGE and JAW-DROPPING closer to what has been an overall awesome first season. The whole concept of alternate universes has been handled in a really cool and intriguing fashion by this show, and what's great is that not only is the concept itself dealt with skillfully, but it's used to further the character-arcs in dramatic and unexpected ways. We now know, for example, that Olivia was not assigned to the FBI's Fringe division by mere coincidence, but was essentially tasked with unravelling her own past. It turns out that, as a child, Olivia was part of a secret drug test conducted by Walter Bishop and William Bell, in which subjects were injected with a mind-altering substance that would in theory open their conciousness to the reality of alternate planes of existence. It turns out that not only was Walter a key player in these trials, but that he himself may have actually travelled to another reality. Because, as it turns out, Walter's son Peter is apparently dead and buried - meaning that the Peter Bishop we see each week on the show could very well be not of this particular universe. Again, this revelation isn't 100% out-of-nowhere, it's been - hold the phone! - foreshadowed. But still, pretty darn cool.

Oh yeah, there's also the fact that Massive Dynamics is this crazy conglomerate whose leaders include a creepy woman with a bionic hand and an otherdimensional enigma who happens to be LEONARD NIMOY.

There's also pale, bald, psychic dudes called Observers who seem to be multiversal guardians - and one of them pals around with Walter.

And how about this episode's visually-breathtaking cliffhanger? Olivia finally meets William Bell (Nimoy) face to face, except that it turns out his futuristic HQ is in an alternate reality ... at the top of one of the two still-standing towers of the World Trade Center. Sure, the "oh my god, in this reality 9/11 never happened!" thing has been done before (Brian K. Vaughan's EX MACHINA says "hi"), but still ... damn, what an image, and what a way to drive home the point that no Sir, we're not in Kansas anymore.

But forgetting all the cool imagery, all the interdimensional intrigue, and even the appearance of Spock Prime himself, the true star of Fringe is John Noble as Walter Bishop. Noble has been absolutely remarkable on this show, and he turned in yet another dynamite performance in the season finale. As the memories of past lives and past sins flooded back into Walter's addled mind, Noble's acting deftly portrayed a man teetering on the edge of madness. The anger, sadness, and confusion of Walter was tangible and palpable, and man, Noble just killed it throughout the episode. Ana Torv as Olivia has grown leaps and bounds. Lance Reddick is a great presence on the show. And now, finally, Joshua Jackson has that final layer of texture that his character needed to feel important and vital to the fabric of the show.

This may stand as the best finale of the season. Fringe is on fire, and I can't wait for Season 2.

My Grade: A



SMALLVILLE Season Finale Review:

- This season of Smallville has definitely been something of a different beast than the previous few. There's no doubt that Smallville has never quite reached the same heights of quality and creativity it enjoyed during it's first three seasons or so. But even when Smallville has been sub-par, you could always count on the show to really up the ante and deliver with its "big" episodes, particularly its season finales. Smallville has usually managed to deliver season-enders that felt fittingly epic, with great action, heroics, and a spirit of adventure that felt true to the legend of Superman.

This season, despite a number of mainstay characters conspicuous by their absences (Lex and Lionel Luthor, for instance ...), Smallville defied expectations and enjoyed a mostly solid year. The show kicked off with a new status quo (Clark as a Daily Planet reporter), a renewed focus on Lois Lane (Erica Durance, infinitely more fun than Lana), and msot importantly, a more tightly-plotted overarching storyline that set up a number of ongoing plot threads that would continue throughout the season. One of these threads was the introduction of Davis Bloome, aka Doomsday. Again, this plotline defied the low expectations and started out very solidly. Davis was built up as a tragic character and a worthy adversary. The inevitable showdown between Clark and Doomsday was actually looking like a true television event worthy of our anticipation. However, what seemed like a strength at first eventually backfired. The Davis storyline just kept going and going, and the writers seemed to be dragging their heels. After some strong midseason eps, like the Geoff Johns-penned Legion of Superheroes installment, Smallville began to lose steam. Every week teased that Clark was inching closer to becoming Superman - but we knew that this likely wouldn't happen, so the build-up seemed pointless. Making him into a mysterious hero called the Red-Blue Blur was a goofy and frustrating compromise. Without even the hope of any payoff to all this buildup, the show seemed stuck in an endless holding pattern. Same goes for the Doomsday storyline. It dragged and dragged, and whenever the show seemed to promise us an epic, comic book-worthy brawl between Clark and the monster, Smallville failed to deliver. So ... surely tonight's season finale would, FINALLY, give us some payoff to the endless build-up, right? Well, after all this time, tonight's ep was ultimately anti-climactic. It felt small in scale, rushed, and severely lacking in intensity. Clark and Doomsday's battle was short, sloppy-looking, and ended abruptly. In fact, the closing moments of the battle were glossed over so the show could cut to a melodramatic scene between Chloe, Jimmy, and Davis, who thanks to a piece of black kryptonite, had been seperated from the Doomsday monster and was now just a regular old Joe Sixpack. Playing out like a bad high school play of Shakespeare, we saw that even without Doomsday, Davis was still pretty evil. When he sees Jimmy and Chloe mend their differences and share a kiss, Davis guts Jimmy with a giant rod. But before he dies, Jimmy pushes Davis onto a metal spike. Holy gratuitous violence, Batman! WTF was that? And oh, for the Superman fanboys like myself who were all like "whaaat, Jimmy Olsen can't die!", it is revealed at Jimmy's funeral that he has a LITTLE BROTHER (presumably ALSO named Jimmy) who looks like the Jimmy Olsen from the comics (even wearing a bowtie!), and who, it is implied, will grow up to be THAT Jimmy Olsen. Like I said, WTF? As always, rather than give us an extra ten minutes of action, Smallville feels obligated to use its final ten minutes of the episode to feature CLARK KENT'S EMO MOMENT OF THE WEEK. Clark confesses to Chloe that he no longer wants a connection to humanity, and that he will no longer embrace his human side. Therefore ... (wait for it ...) ... CLARK KENT IS DEAD. In his place is ...? Um, yeah, clearly he didn't think that part through very well. So Clark walks off dressed in black, BUT WAIT, there's more! In Tess Mercer's office, there's a weird light, she opens a door that leads to a giant outer-space void, at which point we see a dude standing over a giant "Z". Yep, ZOD! Kinda cool, I guess? Well, not really, since Zod's appearance seemingly has nothing to do with anything! What about, you know, Doomsday?

And by the way ... how many times this season did people stand around and talk while Davis was RIGHT THERE ready to go medieval at any moment? I thought the whole point of Oliver and co's assault on Davis was to take him out quickly and efficiently. And yet, they stand around talking to Chloe for ten minutes? And yeah, nice idea to have Davis just lyin' around unguarded at episode's end. Very smart, Chloe.

The bottom line is ... this episode had a couple of decent moments (the Lois and Clark interaction in particular was well-done, and it was fun seeing Oliver's junior Justice League again), BUT, ultimately, the ep failed to make much of an impact. More importantly, it was an anticlimactic culmination of build-up that began all the way back in the season premiere. We NEVER got the giant battle royale between Clark and Doomsday that we all wanted. Why, I have no idea. Lois was transported into the Legion's future in a pretty out-of-nowhere plot point that was never really followed up on at episode's end. We got a somewhat pointless death for Jimmy, and yet the increasingly annoying Chloe lives on. And Clark's character development took one step forward and two steps back. There's really no reason for him not to be Superman at this point. I almost would hope that next season does something radical like have him adventure off in outer-space or travel around the globe or ANYTHING that gets us away from the show's now-tired formula. But personally, I am sick of Clark's internal struggles at this point. I want to see him on some good old-fashioned adventures, with huge villains and epic stakes and lots of action. But wow, looking back on this season, it's amazing how little payoff there was to the whole Davis Bloome thing. Maybe the movies will eventually do Doomsday right. Until then, the Smallville faithful will keep watching and hoping for some small sign that the minds behind the show actually get it.

My Grade: C+



THE OFFICE Season Finale Review:

- Man, it pains me to say this, because this season of The Office has been absolutely brilliant in my opinion ... but, last night's finale was, to me, a disappointment. Throughout this season, The Office has struck an amazing balance between laugh-out-loud hilarity and smaller and subtler character moments. Last week's dance party episode, for example, was flat-out brilliant - every character moment wa completely organic to the storyline, as was the humor. In last night's finale though, the writers apparently forgot that the show is supposed to be a comedy. This annoys me to no end - I know there are some people who would be perfectly happy if The Office dropped all the jokes and just became a weekly soap opera, but to me there's no excuse for a show like this to focus solely on melodrama at the expense of the laughs.

Last night's ep just plain fell flat. Yes, I got caught up in the Michael and Holly tension, and wondered if they'd rekindle their ill-fated romance. Yes, I rooted for the Dunder-Mifflin crew to stick it to Corporate in the company volleyball tournament. But The Office to me has never been about will-they-or-won't-they romance. It's about the little moments and quirks that make the workplace and the employees so endearingly odd.

There were a couple things I loved in this one -- Dwight's newly-revealed best friend was great. Any running around during the game and asking people if they were blind was pretty funny. The cold open in which the office crew tricks Michael into thinking its 5 o'clock when in fact it was much earlier was a lot of fun. But Michael and Holly's Slumdog Millionaire parody? Ummm ... not so much. Seriously, why would anyone give Michael the stage at an event like that anyways? And even Michael doesn't seem dumb enough to reveal that a branch might be closing in such a bone-headed fashion. Surely, Holly isn't that oblivious. I also thought it was jarring that Charles Miner suddenly morphed from being kind of uptight and prickly to being a complete dick. I mean, openly mocking Jim at a family picnic?

Finally ... Pam is pregnant? I don't know, I am not really a fan of this development. It seems like the show jumped the gun, it feels way too early to have this happen. I have enough faith in The Office to assume that the pregnancy will be handled well, but still, it just seemed unnecessary, and too "sitcom-y" to boot.

Again, I hate to bash on this episode so much because a.) for all its faults it was still entertaining and did have some genuinely great moments, and b.) this season of The Office has been, as a whole, amazing, But I've got to call a spade a spade, this season finale fell well short of expectations.

My Grade: B-



30 ROCK Season Finale Review:

- 30 Rock to me has lot a little momentum this season as compared to last - as I've talked about a lot, the show still delivers the funny each week, but the great jokes now seem more spread out amongst more standard sitcom-style plotting, as opposed to the show's old laugh-a-minute pacing. That said, if this is now 30 Rock 2.0, last night we at least got a very good episode of 30 Rock 2.0.

I mean, you can't argue that the show pulled out all the stops last night. Dr. Spaceman (!) returned to hilarious effect. Alan Alda reprised his role as Alec Baldwin's liberal, kidney-needing father. And a collection of about 20 all-star pop stars appeared and performed a hilarious, awareness-raising charity song as part of a benefit show for Jack's dad. A lot of the musical guests had great lines to boot - Cyndi Lauper giddily exclaiming that she was one of three singers drunk on stage was comedic gold. Mary J. Blige's insistence that her charity organization has done a lot to aid in the quest for the Loch Ness Monster was similarly hilarious.

But there's one element of 30 Rock that can not be bottled up or contained within the confines of standard sitcom trappings, and that is Tracy by-god Morgan. Let me just say: Thank you Tracy Morgan. You do your own thing, and basically everything you say on any given episode of 30 Rock is freaking hilarious. Last night was no exception - Tracy's ghetto-fabulous story of how he had to drop out of high school, and the subsequent revelation that he actually left after crying in class due to not wanting to dissect a frog - oh man, so funny! When Tracy then gave a speech at his old high school, telling the students that each and every one of them would grow up to be President, well, that was just the icing on the cake.

So yeah, good stuff from 30 Rock last night. While The Office has been better and funnier overall this season, last night was, no contest, 30 Rock's night.

My Grade: A-



MORE TV REVIEWS:



PRISON BREAK:

- Man, tonight is shaping up to be one hell of a series finale for PRISON BREAK. As has been well documented here on the blog, the show really struggled with its first couple of Friday episodes, but last week's ep, finally, kicked things into high gear. Now THAT was some old-school Prison Break - great villains, impossible situations, intense action, and the best and most over-the-top collection of pulpy characters on TV.

Last Friday's PB, for one thing, finally made Scofield's mother into the uber-dangerous villain she should have been all along. I never loved the idea of bringing in his long-lost Mom as a big bad, but, when she's as cunningly EVIL as she was last week, you can't help but appreciate her icy resolve and begin to eagerly look forward to the bitch goin' down. Similarly, Don Self, who I really liked earlier this season, has been pretty much useless over these last several episodes. But, last week's ep built the character back up again and made us remember why he was once cool. The General's cold-blooded murder of Self's wife gave Michael Rappaport something substantial to work with, and he rose to the occasion, giving the weaselly Self an added layer of tragedy and urgency. And then, finally, T-Bag was back to being the psycho-killer we know and love to hate, hopefully setting up one final confrontation with Scofield in tonight's finale.

And on top of all that intensity, the episode ended on one heck of a badass cliffhanger, upping the ante and having Lincoln kidnapped and in danger at the hands of his wicked stepmom, and Sarah in the hands of The General -- with Michael having to figure out who to save as the clock counts down. Yep, PB brought the GRAVITAS last week, and after slowly losing a lot of my enthusiasm for the show, I am back on board, baby. Tonight I hope that one of the best TV shows of the last few years goes out with a bang. Bring it on.

My Grade: A



GOSSIP GIRL:

- So what did I think of last week's totally-80's flashback episode, aka the backdoor pilot for a possible "Lilly" spin-off series? Well, it was a fun little experiment, and I did really like the 80's cast. Britanny Snow was excellent, for one, as a young Lilly Vanderwoodsen. But was it compelling enough that I'd watch it every week? Probably not. Nevermind the fact that I typically don't want to commit to more than one teen-soap guilty pleasure at a time, but I just think that there are a lot of inherent flaws with a Lilly spin-off. I mean, part of the problem is that Lilly is so unlikable on the show. She's supposed to be one of the more sympathetic characters, but she's played like a total upper-crust snob. I don't even want to see her end up with Rufus, let alone have her own series. In any case, part of GG's problem of late has been that every character is now an unlikable nutjob. I think it was a big mistake to give Dan all of these badboy issues like an illicit romance with his teacher. Dan used to be the entry-point character into this crazy world of upper east side debauchery. Now he's basically as messed-up as every other character. Plus, GG is starting to suffer from OC-syndrome, meaning that its world is becoming way too insular. Dan at this point has no real reason to ever run into Blair or Chuck or Nate, and yet every week he's mixed up in their shenanigans. Branch out some of the characters, introduce new ones, and have new people for Chuck and Blair and Jenny to play off of. As for the 80's ep, it was a fun diversion, but I'm curious if this week's finale can get me hooked on the show like I used to be.

My Grade: B



Next: STAR TREK Reviewed!

From Beneath The Shadow of the Statue: LOST Season Finale - Reviewed!

Wow, so much to talk about, as for the film and TV fan, May is always exciting. Even as the big television series are upping the ante with their season finales, the summer movie season is kicking off with the first of the season's big blockbusters dropping into theaters. And that brings me to ...


LOST - Season Finale Review:


Tonight though was essentially television's version of a summer blockbuster: the much-anticipated, sure-to-be-controversial season finale of LOST. If you think about it, tonight's episode HAD to be huge. Because next season is the series' last, tonight was, in turn, Lost's LAST chance to deliver one of its trademark season-ending game-changers. Not only that, but this has been an interesting season of Lost in that it's been consistently good from the get-go ... and yet, there's been that feeling of anticipation that SOMETHING ... something REALLY big had to happen to put a definitive exclamation point on the year. Lost has been jabbing at us throughout the season, now it was time for Lost to deliver a knockout punch.

So, did it?

I think that, in many ways, tonight's LOST was huge. Epic. In many ways, some literal, it was downright biblical. As always, the tension from moment to moment was simply off the charts. No other show keeps you on the edge of your seat, hanging on every word, every image, like Lost. And by the way, a huge shout-out to the music - gotta love the "adventure" theme - this show has a better score than most blockbuster films. In any case, the pacing of this episode was spot-on. While you can criticize Lost at times for its bigger-picture storytelling issues, on an episode-by-episode basis, no show is better at grabbing you and pulling you into its world.

To me, the highlight of tonight's season finale was clearly the introduction of Jacob, as well as his rival / counterpart. What I loved about the entire Jacob thread was that we got an amazingly textured plotline that brilliantly fills in a lot of the gaps we've been wondering about, while at the same time setting up a number of intriguing new mysteries. But what's great here is that, whereas in the past, Lost has frustrated with its tendency to pose questions just for the hell of it, tonight's ep, as has been par for the course this season, slowly but surely put the puzzle pieces into place. Even if we are left with a lot of questions about Jacob, this episode also gave us a lot to work with in terms of what was hinted at or implied. As this episode is discussed throughout the summer, I don't think us fans will have to resort to wild guesses or crazy theories as in previous seasons. This time, the ever-elusive answers seem to be staring us in the face, if only we know where to look.

Going back to the very beginning of the ep for a second though -- wow, what an intro. The introduction of Jacob, debating philosophy with his counterpart (let's call him Esau), was a fascinating and stage-setting way with which to kick off the finale. As the fabled Black Rock approaches the island, we get a sense from Jacob and Esau of the way the game works. We see that there seems to be a basic and long-standing conflict between the the two with regards to human nature. For all we know, it's a cyclical argument that is played out over and over. And more than likely, the Lostees (and all the others (and Others?)) who have found themselves on the island have been pawns of sorts in their struggle. And, we find out, perhaps most intriguingly, that Esau would love to kill Jacob, if only he could find the proper "loophole" by which to do so.

Man, so many parallels and allusions. The biblical story of Jacob and Esau, in which Jacob stole his elder brother's birthright, leading to an ongoing war between the brothers (would this make Locke - Joseph? Hmmm ...). How about THE STAND by Stephen King - the apocalyptic struggle between good and evil? One thing Lost always does well is to draw on so many sources - literary, biblical, mythological, that you can't help but analyze the hell out of the plotlines in the interest of finding the key to it all in some biblical passage or Stephen King novel or episode of The Twilight Zone.

You have to wonder though -- are Jacob and let's-call-him-Esau LITERALLY the biblical characters, or simply analogs?

Are Esau and The Smoke Monster one and the same? If so, it'd make perfect sense. If they are separate, then surely they are in collusion. Why else would Smokey tell Ben to follow every word that Not-Locke uttered? In fact, as many speculated over the last few weeks (myself included), it seems probable that all of the "dead" people who have shown up are merely "avatars" of sorts - forms taken by Smokey (aka Esau?) to manipulate the Lostees. In any case, it makes sense that this has NOT been the real Locke. And who knows, maybe Esau / Smokey have been manipulating Ben Linus for a lot longer than we think. Maybe some of the Others' orders from Jacob have in fact been from Esau?

One more theory while I'm throwing them out: At episode's end, when Ben "kills" Jacob, Jacob mentions that "they're coming." My guess? Jacob allowed himself to be killed - maybe even coerced Ben into doing it - so that the death would serve as the eventual motivation to get the Lostees back on the island. Someone (Desmond? Eloise?) will find out what happened to Jacob and make it their mission to make sure that Flight 815 crashes as intended, so that Jack and co. can prevent Jacob from being killed. For whatever reason, the "war" that's been talked about is in fact between Jacob and Esau, and the Lostees are most likely the chess pieces with which their cosmic war is being waged. How Whidmore fits into this is unclear, but perhaps he and Ben are essentially the proxys to Jacob and Esau.

Suffice it to say, the mythological aspects of this episode were fascinating. The show has always emphasized a science vs. religion, will vs. destiny dichotomy, and whereas this season showed the extreme limits of human logic and science (time travel being the sort of endgame), next season looks to throw a giant dagger into what we've seen so far, taking us from the world of science into that of the spiritual. Faraday's realization that humans are the variables in the "what happened, happened" argument was the start of the unravelling.

Now ... all that is well and good, but there was also the human component of this episode. And that, to me, is where things faltered a bit. The bigger-picture stuff is great, but at the same time, we have to look at WHY these characters are making their decisions. WHY, for example, would Jack risk so much to essentially restart his life pre-Island. WHY would everyone else - Kate, Sawyer, Juliette, Hurley, Sayid, and Miles ultimately decide to go along with his plan?

Unfortunately, the episode either ran out of time or simply chose not to adequately address this. I never bought that Jack would be so sure that he had to detonate the bomb. When he ultimately gave his failed relationship with Kate as personal justification, I couldn't help but groan a bit. In fact, Sawyer was 100% JUSTIFIED in kicking Jack's self-righteous ass. I mean, Jack is seriously going to alter the course of human history just so he doesn't have to endure a little heartache? I'm sorry, but that is just plain LAME. And again, why did Juliette "change her mind" and ultimately side with Jack? Because she couldn't bear the thought of loving and losing Sawyer? Um ... what? And finally - Kate? HURLEY? Why would Kate go from doing everything in her power to avert Jack's plan and then five minutes later give him her blessing? Why would a Hurley or Miles stand around and do nothing as Jack threatened to erase them out of existence? To me, this was easily the weakest part of the episode. The character motivations just were not there, and when they were, the writers quickly had the likes of Sawyer, Juliette, and Kate flip-flop for very unconvincing reasons. The plus side was that we at least got some great moments of drama out of all this: a kickass smackdown between Jack and Sawyer, some great gun-battles with lots of Dharma Initiative destruction, and a chaotic and action-packed ending that led to the big moment of the night ...

... that being Juliette's dramatic and tragic death. Now, for the record, I predicted Juliette would bite the big one. To me, the character had run her course, and her death was needed in order to darken Sawyer and once again make him the lone wolf of old. And hey, at least it was true to Juliette's character that she had ambiguous motives (and that damn half-smile / smirk) right up until the end. She essentially got the last laugh too. Originally, she got Sawyer off the sub so that they could STOP Jack from detonating the bomb. But perhaps the thought of her being dead, leaving Sawyer to run off with Freckles was too much for her to bear. Only fitting that her final act was one giant "F-You" - so long, reality. Enter: the bright white light of oblivion, baby.

I guess what it boils down to though is that this ep had SO MUCH going on - so many big moments, so much new information to process, that it's very, very tempting to overlook the rushed characterization and glossed-over logic. I mean, Miles even sort of poked fun at this when he sarcastically remarked that Jack's plan was *very* well thought-out (for all they knew, the bomb could itself be the source of the very "incident" that Jack was trying to prevent - good call, Miles!). But there was a Rose and Bernard (and Vincent!) appearance. There was the STATUE in all its Egyptian-god glory (as fans rushed to Wikipedia to look up Sobek and any other lizard god from Egyptian lore ...). There was the awesome acting of Michael Emerson as Ben - his final speech to Jacob was a kickass Lost moment for the ages, as was his Psycho-style stab-stab-stabbing of The Big J. There was our ol' pal Lapidus, tagging along with Ilana and the Shadow Conspiracy, who happen to be carrying the body of one John Locke! (So ... WHO are they, exactly?) There was that awesome music! And yeah, like everyone else, I'll probably be theorizing from now until January on Jacob, Esau, The Smoke Monster, Not-Locke, etc. I mean, wow, I guess my eight years of Jewish day school as a kid have finally paid off - I now get all the biblical allusions on LOST. Dammit all ... But ... I guess in a weird way this has been the LOST experience all along. You get caught up in the bigger picture. You get annoyed with the logic leaps and the ambiguity and all that, but man, when that title logo thumps onto the screen you're in like Flynn. I still don't see why anyone would be pro-Jack in this ep. But even so, hot damn, I can't wait to see what happens next.

My Grade: A-

Stay tuned for: FRINGE, PRISON BREAK, and STAR TREK - Reviewed!

THE PENULTIMATE 24: Dammit ...?!?!

TWENTY-BY-GUM-FOUR Review:

- Ugh. We were on our way to getting a pretty damn good episode of 24 tonight ... there was an intense search for the soon-to-detonate bio-weapon, EVIL TONY was captured by Jack, and that uber-beyotch Olivia was well on her way to getting vice-gripped by the righteous hand of justice, aka AARON PIERCE. Everything was going pretty well, and there was GRAVITAS a-plenty. We even had a thunderous NOD OF GRAVITAS between Jack and his Muslim cleric friend, as the two exchanged psychic waves on a plane of existence that most of us can only dream of. Even the banter between Chloe and Janeane Garafalo was semi-amusing and provided some much-needed levity in the midst of all the grim n' grittiness.

BUT ... we should have known that KIM and AWESOME STORYLINES rarely mix. I wanted to believe that Kim would be woven back into the action in a fun and exciting manner, but instead the writers resorted to "24 Cliche #537": One of our heroes is blackmailed by the badguys and must betray everyone and everything they hold dear in order to save the life of a friend or loved one. ARRRRRRRRRGH. Not only have we already seen this IN THIS VERY SEASON, but it's been done multiple times in the show's history, and the tropes are so familiar by this point that a 24 fan can practically recite them by heart.

Now, who knows, maybe there will be some great twist in next week's finale that will put a new spin on a familiar situation. But who cares - it made for a groan-inducing cliffhanger tonight. The 24 team should be smart enough at this point to subvert the show's conventions. How great would it have been for Jack to have anticipated this villainy and worked out some kind of contingency plan? Or what if Jack simply said "screw it" and decided that, with only hours left to live, he'd throw caution to the wind and somehow try to save his daughter, danger be damned. But are we really going to spend half of next week's season finale going through the motions of seeing Jack go rogue and take on the FBI, so that he can appear to have betrayed his country for the 500th time this season? And it doesn't take a psychic to see where this is headed - Jack will save his daughter, will be on the verge of death, and in his last moments the FBI will experiment with their newfangled medical procedure and use Kim's blood to help revive Jack. Ugh. Where's the twist? Where's the climactic showdown? Dammit all, where's the gravitas?

This episode of 24 simply dropped the ball. It took the emotional core of this season, Jack vs. Tony, and blew it off with barely any fanfare or drama. We STILL don't really have a good explanation for Tony's actions, so it's hard to even hate him all that much or to truly buy him as a legit villain. But here, within minutes, Jack cornered him, captured him, choked him out, and, well ... that was pretty much it. Even if Tony escapes and we have one final epic battle royale between the two, well, the air has already been let out of the balloon, so to speak. I just think it's disappointing that, for a while there, 24 was telling a very logical story about Private Military Corporations and disillusionment with one's country, and now we are left with something of a cluster as we head into the finale. And it feels like it's a mish-mash of every 24 cliche - Kim in Danger, Jack having to go rogue under duress, a scheming relative in the White House, a friend-gone-bad, Jack at the end of his rope / life, some vague conspiracy that was built up for weeks only to (as usual) disappear into the ether by season's end, etc.

Dammit 24, get your $#%^ together for the finale, or I'm going to need MORE CC's!

My Grade:

Most of the Episode: B+
Ending: C-

Must-See TV? OFFICE and 30 ROCK in Review

Friday, what? After a looong week it's time to kick back, relax, and enjoy a couple of days of blissful freedom. Bring on the weekend, baby.

Let's kick things off with some TV Reviews, shall we?

- THE OFFICE had a really strange, yet really enjoyable episode last night. The first half of the ep was pretty conventional, with Michael upset that no one from the office wanted to have lunch with him, and convinced that the reason why was that everyone was used to the old management and had forgotten how to cut loose at work. In a response that only Michael Scott would dream up, Scranton's returning branch manager turns the old offices of the Michael Scott paper company into a "cafe disco" - basically an empty room with an expresso machine and a stereo. Michael tries and fails to turn the space into the site of an impromtu dance party. Of course, as soon as Michael gives up on the idea, the Dunder Mifflin staff start to get into it, and soon enough there's a full-n dance party going on at work. In this way, the second half of the episode was pretty uncoventional - a continuous look at the ensuing dance party, complete with an ongoing soundtrack in the background. There was something that was just kind of awesome about this whole sequence -- it was fun, upbeat, but also with moments of hilarity - Andy and Kelly's over-the-top dance-off, Kevin making out with the woman he met several episodes back, and Angela reluctantly tapping her toes to the music, much to Michael's delight. The other big standout in this ep was new receptionist Erin - she hasn't had much screentime so far, but her mix of enthusiasm and quirkiness was a nice addition to the mix this episode. There is definitely some potential there. Other parts of this episode were interesting but didn't work quite as well as the main A-plot. Dwight treating Phyliss' bad back as if she were a race horse was a strange mix of awkwardly funny and just plain uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if they were going to fight or make out - luckily, neither happened. Also, Jim and Pam's decision to elope, followed by a mutual agreement to hold off and have a proper wedding ... well, it was intriguing but felt a tad bit glossed over. It's not that I thought it needed more screen time, per se, just that it was hard to tell what changed their minds, exactly. But overall, this was a really fun, even uplifting episode of The Office that, to me, continued the show's streak of A-quality episodes that has gone on now for several weeks. Not only was this another great ep, but it really felt different in tone and structure from any episode we've seen before - I give the show a ton of credit in that regard for mixing things up to such an extent. And finally, how funny was Michael mouthing the words to "Everybody Dance Now"? Just the look on his face was hilarious.

My Grade: A-


- As for 30 ROCK ... this was yet another episode that had some hilarious moments but just left me feeling slightly disappointed when all was said and done. Keep in mind, I only say this because at this time last year 30 ROCK was absolutely killing it - every episode was firing on all cylinders, with jokes so densely-packed into the script that you had to stop yourself from laughing just so you could hear the next incredible line of dialogue. 30 Rock still has several great quotables every week ... but I can't help but feel like there is an increasing disconnect between the humor and the plotlines. Before, the jokes felt totally organic because they basically were baked into the plot. Now, it seems like the plotlines are becoming more and more sitcom-y, and only after the fact do the writers throw us some bones and insert a vintage Tracy Jordan non sequitar or a classic Alec Baldwin word of wisdom. Last night's ep was another movie-centric plot (and a Universal movie to boot) in which Jack pulled a "Mama Mia" and went in search of his estranged dad. Turns out that Alan Alda, playing a liberal professor, is the baby-daddy. Meanwhile, Tracy has been reunited with his own illegitimate love-child, who is suspiciously old and arouses suspicion that he may be scamming an oblivious Tracy. The twist (twist!) is that Tracy knows he's being scammed, but just likes having his money go to his "son's" projects, which turn out to actually be worthwhile. Both plotlines had their moments, and Tracy got in some vintage hilarious lines. But an "okay" episode of 30 Rock is definitely a step down for a show that has so consistently delivered comedic greatness. Step it up, Tina!

My Grade: B


- Alright - short entry today, stay tuned for a STAR TREK review.

Follow the Leader: LOST thoughts + Fringe and Prison Break

First of all, congrats to the Celtics on a dominating win last night over the Magic. It was a must-win game and Boston came through big-time, with stellar performances from guys like Eddie House and Rajon Rondo - two players who have really stepped it up and proven themselves as invaluable to the Celtics team. It's going to be an interesting series, but after last night I feel like Boston is in good position to pull it out.

TV STUFF:


- On last night's LOST: Well, there was a lot to like about the episode - from Hurley's hilarious inability to pretend he *wasn't* from the future, to Ben Linus' classic reaction shots when he realizes that he is no longer in control of things. Overall, there is a great sense of momentum going into next week's double-length finale, and I definitely anticipate we are in for one roller-coaster ride of an event in one week's time. I also can't deny that last night's Lost built off of the previous week's sense of intrigue. When I sat down to watch Lost last night, I was still buzzing from last week's time-loop craziness involving Eloise Hawkings and Daniel Faraday, and contemplating all of the potential implications of Eloise's shocking shooting of her own son (which as of this episode - I think? - has the added twist of her having been pregnant (!) with Daniel at the time!). And I'll give it up for this episode - the talk of undoing the past and re-writing the future provides endless fodder for discussion and debate.

But where this episode lost me a bit (pun intended) was in Jack's reasoning for detonating an H-Bomb in order to set off some kind of chain reaction that *might* irreversibly change the future such that Flight 815 never crash-lands on the island and lands safely in Los Angeles. I mean, sure, Jack has been unstable and on-edge ever since he left the island way back when ... but, his current plan seems completely crazy. For one - who wants to erase years of their lives, wiping out relationships, maturity, etc? Second, even if Jack himself wanted to go through with it, he would essentially be playing god and forcing Kate, not to mention Rose, Bernard, et all to lose moments that they probably don't want to lose. To me, Kate was clearly justified in ditching Jack - not only would his plan potentially rob her of memories she doesn't want to lose (ie Aaron), but it would put untold lives in peril. Plus, who knows if it would even work? Faraday told Jack that people are variables, but prior to that he insisted that "what happened, happened." Most evidence we've seen so far points to the latter being true.

Again, it's fun to debate all this stuff, but at the same time, you'd think the show might address some of these issues. As is, this ep was vintage Lost in that Jack stated his position, Kate stated hers, and the two said barely anything else. Kate never said "Jack, your plan is insane because of x y and z," and Jack never said "Kate, we have to do this because of x". I'm not saying the show needs to be one giant exposition-fest, but I also don't like when character motications and logic are so murky. Same goes for Locke's big cliffhanger statement about going to kill Jacob. Um, what? What does that even mean? Sure, it *sounds* cool - "kill Jacob? wha? huh? but who? but how?". But it's basically an empty statement as far as we're concerned. Very Grant Morrison-esque - throw out a cool-sounding concept with the hopes that the idea of it alone will blow our minds.

Anyways, it's semi-hard to judge this episode, because next week's payoff might be so awesome that, in retrospect, the build-up turns out to be perfect. At the same time, what happened happened, and what happened with this episode was that there was some questionable characterization that made me say "huh?".

My Grade: B


- I also watched Tuesday's episode of FRINGE last night, and, whoah boy, this show is getting good. Whereas Lost sometimes makes me feel like the writers just splashed some paint on a canvas and said "here, look what I made!", Fringe has been doing something pretty cool: telling and old-fashioned, by-god *story*. Yep, the awesome thing about Fringe is that literally every episode from the pilot to now has seamlessly fit into the larger tapestry. There's no questions about continuity, no contradictory plot points, no sense that the show is just throwing crap against the wall. Fringe has quietly gone about crafting one hell of a mythology. At the same time, each episode has a nice element of self-contained craftsmanship. In some ways, it's a reliable workhorse - in every ep we know we'll get a cool fringe-science case, learn about some cool pseudo-science theory, get a couple of hilarious Walter-isms, etc. But at the same time, and I don't think it's fully surfaced until now, there's been an awesome web of alternate realities, mysterious observers, secret drug trials, and shady corporations that's been weaved in the background, and at times in the foreground. Suffice it to say, I was very impressed this week to see that practically *everything* that's happened on the show to date artfully fits into the bigger picture. And man, they have no set things into motion for one barnburner of a season finale. Meanwhile, I was absolutely wowed by Jon Noble as Walter in this ep. His breakdown at episode's end after Olivia confronts him about the drug trials he helped facilitate, of which she was a part, was intense, sad, and disturbing all at once. If Noble does not win an Emmy for this role, there is no TV god. Furthermore, the interplay between the characters has been honed to the point where it's truly enjoyable to watch them interact. It's amazing how Anna Torv has made Agent Dunham into one of TV's best characters in such a short time - especially after most wrote her off as bland and stiff in the early days of the show. I still think they overdo it with Peter questioning his father's theories all the time, but even Peter has had a lot of nice character advancement since the pilot. But really, this show is just plain kicking ass of late. The whole ZFT / alternate realities arc is just plain cool-as-hell, and I can't wait to see where things go from here.

My Grade: A


- Finally, I do want to talk about PRISON BREAK from Friday. I thought last week's ep picked up some substantial momentum as compared to the week before that, and this week's ep again built on that. Everything just seemed amped up - we got a truly vile and villainous T-Bag, some vintage Mahone craziness, and a great, very evil turn from Michael's mom. Up until now, she's been kind of a generic schemer, but in this ep we finally saw that she was an adversary worthy of the Scofield name - conniving, manipulative, and as easy to hate as Michael is to root for. There was also the big Lincoln-is-not-Michael's-brother revelation, which sort of came out of nowhere but at least was a semi-interesting twist (so is THAT why they have different last names? hmmm ...). But yeah, the ep was fast-paced and enjoyable, and my hope is that, again, it all makes for an awesome finale. I really hope the whole Company storyline is wrapped up ASAP, so that we can get a final episode that feels more like vintage PB. In the interim, it's good to know that the show has, at the least, upped its game since its somewhat limp return a few weeks back.

My Grade: B+



- Aaaaaand I'm out. Check back soon for the latest.

Adamantium-Infused: WOLVERINE Review and MORE!

And then it was the summer movie season ...

While this summer boasts no sure-thing fanboy juggernaut on par with last summer's Iron Man or Dark Knight, there are still the usual bigtime tentpoles that will be vying for your hard-earned dollars. Personally, I can't help but feel that there are some big, big question marks around many of the summer's biggest movies. We already saw the first misfire of the summer with Wolverine -- sure, the movie made bank, but creatively, well, it didn't exactly raise the bar. Star Trek *was* a big unknown, but the onslaught of glowing reviews has pretty much convinced me that it won't disappoint. That said, a movie like Terminator: Salvation could still go either way -- I mean, who isn't salivating at the thought of finally seeing an adult John Connor fighting evil robot armies in the future? But -- McG as a bigtime action director is still a pretty unproven commodity. I remain somewhat optimistic, but still, you never know. Really, the only 100% sure-thing this summer is UP. Pixar can basically do no wrong, and as much as I loved Wall-E, I get the sense that UP might be even better. I love the fact that we know so little about the movie, too. Pixar has earned the right to play coy - I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeve.

On the other hand, I think we've had a very above-average winter and spring at the movies. There were some truly great comedies like Observe and Report, Adventureland, and Fanboys, and some badass action flicks like Taken and, of course, Watchmen. There was even Anvil: The Story of Anvil, which may well end up as the documentary of the year. Usually, it's rare for movies from January to April to end up on my Year-End Best-Of list, but I could definitely see it happening in a couple of cases in '09.

Anyways, let's talk Wolverine ...


X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Review:

- Okay, first off, let me reitirate my position on the X-Men movies. I thought Part 1 was okay - it got a lot of the fundamentals right, but never really captured the colorful and over-the-top nature of the comics or cartoons. I never really loved the "realistic" approach that Bryan Singer took, and it was clear that Singer never really got the more comic-bookish elements of the franchise. Halle Berry as Storm was a joke, and some of the other casting was equally bland. The real stroke of genius was the twin casting of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan - the sheer awesomeness of those two helped to elevate the franchise far beyond what it might have been otherwise. Don't get me wrong - Singer had a great eye for updating some of the classic characters and for the interpersonal drama that was part and parcel with the X-Men. But he never really seemed to be having fun with it - all the little things that made the X-Men cool - from the flashy costumes to Wolverine's berzerker rage, seemed cleaned up and toned down. X2 was a big improvement. It kept the great character moments from Part 1 and upped the ante in terms of scope and action. X2 still stands as one of the better superhero movies ever made. Now, X3 gets a ton of crap from fans, but to me it wasn't much different from the previous two movies. In fact, I actually enjoyed the film's focus on action and superheroics. Sure, it was a letdown for those hoping for a faithful adaptation of The Dark Phoenix Saga, but come on, who ever thought that that would happen? So to me, X3 remains one of the most perpetually underrated movies by comic geeks. Not because I think it's the end all be all, but just because I think it's about on-par with the previous two movies, and is in some ways even more entertaining. I guess I preface with this because to me, the argument of which is better: X3 or Wolverine? - is easy to answer - X3 all the way. X3 had several moments that were undeniably cool - Kitty Pryde outrunning the Juggernaut, Logan confronting the Phoenix power even as it tore him to shreds ... Wolverine ... was seriously short on moments of awesomeness.

Focusing back in on WOLVERINE ... To me, I've never been fully happy with Hugh Jackman in the role. I like Jackman as an actor, and he's been excellent in a number of movies. I just think it's too bad that Wolverine had to be played by such a leading-man type actor. I would have liked to see Wolverine as a true badass - a Clint Eastwood or Jack Nicholson type. Someone who's gritty, dirty, ugly - someone who you don't want to mess with. Hugh Jackman is a charismatic and talented actor, but he doesn't really fit that mold.

Still, whatever ... if Wolverine as a movie rocked, I could easily get over any reservations I might have about Jackman. But the fact is, Wolverine is just sort of there. It feels thrown together, with a plot that barely makes sense and a lot of scenes that seem to have been included for a supposed cool-factor and little else. Not only that, but the movie has an inherently uphill battle in that it insists on focusing on Wolverine's origin ... when the whole point of the character is that he is a mysterious lone wolf. Sure, the comics eventually caved and gave Logan a fleshed-out origin, and some of that is adapted in the movie ... but really, it is not a story that needed to be told. Especially given that, here, we get all kinds of self-reflective Wolverine. This isn't Batman, dude. Wolverine isn't a character with a lot of inner turmoil, he's an animalistic ass-kicking machine. But, again, the comics at least gave us a damn good story when Marvel chose to do the origin -- the movie gives us random scenes set in the past that mostly amount to jack squat. We see a young James Howlett (aka Logan) accidentally kill his own father. We see Logan and Victor Creed, his half brother (aka Sabretooth) randomly fight together in every major American war (guess he's not Canadian anymore?), just because, hey, why not?

Later, the movie flashes to Wolverine's time as some kind of special ops recruit for the government-sponsored Team X, a pre-X-Men team of mutants that do all kinds of morally-gray black ops type stuff. On this team is Logan, Victor, Wade Wilson (Deadpool), and a couple of other lesser-known guys with names like Agent Zero. Ryan Reynolds as Wilson is an instant standout - at first, his wise-cracking demeanor and kickass sword-wielding skills seem right out of the comics. It only makes sense then that the character in this form has about 10 minutes of screentime, before becoming a hideous mutant uber-villain who can't speak and inexplicably has the power of EVERY OTHER mutant in the movie, plus ... he can grow giant swords from his hands. Say what now? Hmm, so apparently this movie was written by your third-grade cousin.

In fact, the selection of characters in this movie seems completely random. I mean, hey, you know who'd be call in a Wolverine Origin movie? GAMBIT! Why is Gambit in this movie? What narrative purpose does he serve? I have no idea. He has approximately ONE SCENE of vintage Rajun' Cajun' card-throwin' coolness, but is otherwise pretty much a waste. Yes, I geeked out like everyone else when Gambit hurled some kinetic energy-infused playing cards. But yeah, his character is emblematic of what's wrong with this movie - there's no rhyme or reason behind everything - it's just "let's throw a bunch of randomness at the movie screen and see what sticks." A cameo by Patrick Stewart as Professor X, for example, could have been cool but is ultimately a throwaway. The inclusion of younger versions of iconic X-Men like Cyclops feels like overkill. The Blob? Meh.

And would it have killed them to have Gambit sport his trademark tan trenchcoat? Couldn't have Deadpool donned his awesome red and black mask from the comics? Why use these characters if you take all the fun out of them?

I will give some props though - Jackman does put in a good effort with what he's given to work with. The other real standout though is Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth. Now, keep in mind, Victor Creed here is nothing like his comic book counterpart, and nothing like Tyler Mane's version in the first X-Men movie. So that in and of itself is a bit disappointing. But ... Schreiber gives it a good go, and is clearly having a lot of fun in the role. If nothing else, he's one badass Jew.

But really, Wolverine is kind of a mess. Even the f/x tend to look somewhat haphazardly done at times, with a couple of climactic fight scenes looking very green screen-ish. Visually, the movie has no real consistent look or style - again, just kind of bland. What's more, the tone never really feels right. There are a couple of moments that feel appropriately epic and dark (ie when the adamantium is injected into Wolvie's body - pretty cool), but the movie never really gets as gritty or brutal or intense as it should. By the film's climax, you barely care what's going on or why. We all know that Wolverine is destined to lose his memories of this adventure, for example, and the moment where his mind is wiped should have been dramatic and memorable. Instead, it happens through a very goofy and contrived means (an adamantium bullet to the brain), and the impact of it all never truly hits home. If anything, the movie ends up in a strange place, in which the preceding story is rendered almost inconsequential since it seems to have little effect on what we know will come next. It's one more example of the storytelling here being sort of weak overall. I mean, even the post-credits teaser ain't exactly all that. Iron Man and Hulk had badass bonus scenes, but all we get here is either a.) Deadpool: not dead! or b.) Wolverine - at a bar in Japan! Oooh, Japan, setting of the classic Frank Miller comic book tale. Could be good setup for a sequel, right? Problem is, after this movie, you won't exactly be jonesing for a Part 2 ... the fact is, this movie seems to indicate that there isn't much gas left in the X-Men tank. If anything, I got the urge to pop in the recently-released DVD's of the awesome 90's-era cartoon series and remind myself of the days when Wolverine really did kick some ass, Bub.

My Grade: C+


- Alright, GO CELTICS and psyched for LOST. Snikt!

Gettin' Metal: ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL Review - Plus: 24, Smallville, Simpsons, The Celtics, and MORE

Whoah, it's a frustrating feeling when your actual blog can't keep up with your internal one. I mean, in this day and age, who has time to write down coherant sentances and well thought-out phrases? I mean, god, I could just do the Twitter thing and bring my every waking thought to you in all of their fractured and nonsensical glory. But no my friends, I am a man of words, and I prefer overlong, long-winded ramblings to lowest-common-denominator insta-punditry any day of the week. So, suck it, Ashton Kutcher.

Anyways, um ... so, yeah ... I have a lot to talk about and have gotten WAY behind here. I've got lots of TV to talk about, ANVIL, and of course (SNIKT!) WOLVERINE. Will I fit it all in this very blog post? Let's find out, shall we?


- Before I talk about anything else, how about a big congrats to the BOSTON CELTICS for a huge Game 7 victory on Saturday over the Chicago Bulls. The epic back and forth battle will likely go down as one of the all-time great NBA playoff series, with numerous overtimes, dozens of last-second heroics, and just a great level of intensity and competition from both teams. I give it up to the Bulls - they played well and it was hard to hate them even if they nearly eliminated the C's. All I can say is, what a series.

But, no rest for the weary. Last night the Celtics quickly moved into Round 2 of the playoffs, where they faced off with the up and coming Orlando Magic. It was yet another intense game for Boston, who came back from 28 points down to nearly win the game. There were some real positive signs in the game - Boston got some better-than-expected play from players like Scallebrini and Stephon Marbury, who had some brief flashbacks to the "Starbury" of old. But Ray Allen with only 11 points is not a good thing. Allen has to be a consistent scorer if Boston hopes to win without KG. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how well the C's can contain Dwight "Superman" Howard. The guy is simply a beast. So, last night was a tough loss for the Celtics, but ... I think we could be in for yet another close and exciting series.

And by the way, let me throw in a shout-out to the Houston Rockets, who managed to come in strong in their first game against the Lakers and, basically, whoop some ass. I've got to ask: how can anyone who isn't a die-hard Lakers fan like Kobe Bryant? Sure, you can respect his talent, but the guy is a whiny egomaniac who acts like he is destined for all these great things. All I know is, Jordan never spent a whole game complaining to the refs.


TV STUFF:

- On last night's episode of TWENTY-BY-GOD-FOUR (24): Well, I thought it was a decent episode, but I do think it was kind of filler to pave the way for next week's seemingly more action-packed installment. I mean, it was still an episode that had some particularly choice scenes - Jack's emotional confession of his deadly sickness to Chloe for example was pretty intense. And I also liked the scenes with Jonas Hodges coming to terms with his final fate. But ... I was a bit turned off by the somewhat heavy-handed insertion of racial profiling, etc. into the mix. 24 has already dealt at length with the plight of Arab-Americans in a post-9/11 world, and featured numerous storylines about unfair prejudices against Muslims, etc. Creating a new character here to fill the role of moralizing cleric seemed a bit clunky. What would have been nice instead is if the show took some time to develop Tony's true motivations, which we still don't know. Or how about giving the President a reason to be awake at 4 am other than to field one phone call after another about what the FBI's botched this time. Also, I give this season credit for avoiding the usual cheesy subplots that 24 is known for, but, that said, the whole Olivia thing is getting to that point. Within a couple of hours she decides to arrange for the assassination of Jonah Hodges, then decides she can't go through with it (though it happens anyway), and the point of all of that was, what exactly? I know that I and others tend to give 24's perpetually lame subplots a pass just because they've almost become something of a tradition on the show (and at least when it was Kim and a cougar-trap there was a fun, B-movie quality at work). But you can't help but wonder -- if we just got rid of Olivia completely, and focused more on developing the villains, the President's cabinet, etc -- would anyone be upset? In any case, next week should be sufficiently action-packed and gravitas-filled so that we don't have time to wonder why the heck Aaron Pierce is hanging around the White House as if he never left, with a bullet-wound, no sleep, and presumably no contract. Honestely though ... upon further reflection I feel like part of why this ep frustrated me a bit is that it felt like this *should* have been the ep where we really build up Jack vs. Tony. Right now, I just don't feel as hyped for the epic Sack vs. Soulpatch smackdown as I want to be. I mean, what's up with Tony anyways? Is he just a morally-gray hired gun or is he truly an evil bastard who wants to bring down Jack and America itself? If Tony is going to be a full-fledged badguy, give us a true reason to hate him other than the killing of that Larry dude from the FBI. If it's gonna be Jack vs. Tony with everything on the line, give it the epic buildup it deserves, dammit. Think of it this way -- to me, there had better be a good reason why Tony replaced the friggin' Candyman as our big bad villain. Oh well, at least we got the cheestastically awesome line where the wise Muslim guy tells Jack to forgive himself and Jack is all like "I gave up on that a long time ago." Dammit all.

My Grade: B


- I do want to mention THE SIMPSONS from Sunday. While the episode wasn't perfect, it was surely one of the best of this season to date. It benefitted from a hilarious Homer-Marge subplot that saw Homer move into a bachelor pad, causing he and Marge's relationship to randomly take on the characteristics of a twenty-something fling. Pretty funny stuff, and the main plot with Bart and Lisa attending a swanky new school in "Waverly Hills" had some great comedy as well. A couple of the jokes fell flat (Ellen Page's turn as the tween star Alaska Nebraska, for example), but overall this was a pretty memorable ep.

My Grade: B+

- FAMILY GUY had an above-average episode as well, in my opinion, at least as compared to the past couple of subpar eps. The premise, which saw Brian begin dating Lauren Conrad of The Hills fame, was pulled off pretty well, and there were a couple of pretty good cutaway gags to boot. Family Guy still has a looong way to go if it ever wants to get back to its Season 1 and 2 peak, but at least this one was something of a step in the right direction.

My Grade: B

- As for KING OF THE HILL - a decent episode that had a somewhat odd twist. Basically, it turns out that depite his lack of athletic talent, Bobby looks forward to little league every year, much to Hank's frustration. Hank would rather Bobby not play than embarrass himself out on the field. So when Bobby's new coach turns out to be big on following your dreams and believing in yourself, Hank is made to look like the badguy for being a realist when it comes to Bobby's chances of baseball success. This episode struck me as strange in that Hank, as usual, is proven "right" in that ultimately the overeager coach sets up Bobby for failure in the big game. Hank yanks Bobby off the field at the last minute, sparing him humiliation. In one respect, I give KOTH credit for being one of the only shows that would present a situation like this with this degree of subtlety and wit. On the other hand, it felt like a bit of a cop out in that Hank's actions made for a "happy" ending, when in fact they were kinda awful if you think about it. Hmm ...

My Grade: B

- SMALLVILLE last week was a fun and suspenseful episode that finally brought the neverending Davis Bloome storyline to something of a head. The ep left us still bracing for a climactic confrontation between Clark and Davis, but it did put the wheels in motion for a pretty exciting finale. That said, while this was an intense episode, you couldn't help but feel that a clot of the conflict was a bit contrived. In order to keep Clark away from Doomsday, the writers set up Chloe as sympathetic to Davis and even as an accomplice of sorts. Chloe had to make one bone-headed decision after another in order to help out Davis, and you have to wonder what her real motivation would be to cling to the side of a guy who happens to be a deranged monster. Still, Chloe's craziness did set up some good scenes between her and Oliver, who sufficiently chewed her out for her reckless actions. Again, I give Smallville credit for delivering a pretty compelling ongoing storyarc, something the show has rarely been able to do at this level. At the same time, there had damn well better be some payoff coming soon.

My Grade: B+

- For my money, THE OFFICE continues to be on a roll, while 30 ROCK slips a bit each week. The Office has seemingly found a near-perfect blend of absurdist humor and great characterization in recent weeks, mixing in hilarious quotables and sight-gags with some genuinely interesting character development. Michael Scott's solo venture as the head of the Michael Scott Paper Company was handled brilliantly overall, and it also provided a great setup for Michael's eventual return last week to Dunder Mifflin. While not quite as on-the-mark as the previous couple of weeks, Thursday's Office was yet another winner. Meanwhile, 30 Rock is consistently one of the funniest shows on TV, and every episode has 4 or 5 classic lines that are guaranteed to be quoted on Facebook status updates the next morning. BUT ... 30 Rock needs to be careful about trying to be all things to all people. The last several eps have really tried to have more emotional / dramatic storylines that would feel more at home in a traditional sitcom. Where the 30 Rock of old would have completely satirized the old sitcom tropes, the nu-30 Rock more often than not plays things straight. I mean, did we really need a genuine moment between Jack and his mother? To me that's not what the show is about - it's about being a madhouse of crazy characters and random humor. We still get some of that in each ep (thank god for Tracy Morgan, who has never played anything straight in his life), but I still worry that the show is being watered down for the masses.

My Grades:

The Office: A-
30 Rock: B


- Finally, I'm psyched for what might happen on tonight's FRINGE. Last week's ep was good stuff - I am loving the slowly-unravelling mythology of the ZFT, etc., and I love how each week if you read between the linesa bit, you can infer a little more about Walter's true role in all of this. Overall, the show is just really gelling, and managing both to tell interesting and creepy freak-of-the-week stories while also tying them into a much larger framework. Last week's ep, with a spinal-fluid-sucking succubus, was case in point. We got an X-Files style one-in-done mystery but also another piece of the larger puzzle revealed, with the revelation tht Walter Bell has a lot to do with the wave of fringe science-based mayhem that agent Dunham has been investigating. Also, congrats to Fringe on being renewed for Season 2. Considering how much the show has improved in the span of 20-odd episodes, I'm psyched to see where it goes from here.

My Grade: A-


MOVIE REVIEWS ...




ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL Review:

- As the summer movie season begins with a weekly parade of overhyped blockbusters, I would urge anyone looking for something completely different to check out a movie that rocks harder than Stonehenge - ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL. Many are calling the movie a real-life Spinal Tap, and those people would be right. Anvil is an absolutely hilarious documentary that looks at the journey of a past-their-prime metal band known as Anvil. Well, actually, Anvil never really even had a prime - they had a brief moment of glory in the early 80's while on tour with the likes of Bon Jovi and The Scorpions, during which they actually did gain a cult-fan-following. They also proved to be an influence on a number of bands from Metallica to Guns n' Roses, with a faster-paced, proto-speed-metal style that put a heavier, thrashier spin on the usual 80's shenanigans. And yet, despite that, Anvil fizzled out before they ever truly made it big. Lifelong friends Steve "Lips" Kudlow and the ironically-named Robb Reiner ended up retreating back to their small Canadian hometown. They took menial jobs and started families. But, all the while, Anvil never quit. They kept playing in small clubs and bars, recruited new members, and put out an amazing 14 albums on a small record label. All the while, Lips and Robb were convinced that Anvil's big moment was yet to come - they dreamt big, and even as they reached their 50's, they kept on reaching for that brass ring and they never stopped believing. They kept on rocking.

It's for this reason that Anvil is both hilarious and yet surprisingly heartfelt. You laugh at Anvil on many occasions, but you also find yourself drawn to Lips' charismatic and well-meaning personality and you really begin rooting for him to see his impossible dream to fruition. This is a true underdog story in that way - you are there with Anvil through the tragedies and triumphs, and you can't help but want to stand up and cheer when it looks like they might actually get their shot.

Again, so much of the movie is driven by the relationship between Lips and Robb. They are in many ways real-life cartoon characters - Lips is nutty and crazy and wears his heart on his sleave, whereas Robb is sullen and brooding and takes himself seriously to the point of absurdity (his gallery of paintings is absolutely hilarious - all I can say is that his art is reflective of his self-serious and somewhat oblivious personality). But the two are a classic odd couple. You laugh along with them as they have the usual rock n' roller arguments, but at the same time, you can't help but admire their brotherly relationship. The two are there for each other through thick and thin. They decided to be rockers as kids, as many kids do, and they never stopped trying for that dream.

The movie works so well in that you do get that juxtaposition of these guys who totally believe they are would-be titans of rock (and hey, maybe they are ...), with the reality that they are a couple of middle-aged Jewish guys who are to some degree stuck in the 80's and milking a fifteen minutes of fame from twenty-five years ago long past its expiration date. But there is a real sincerity to these guys that is contagious. And in an age where all kinds of lame pop acts are billed as the next big thing, you have to wonder: why aren't these guys getting a shot? They did influence the likes of Slash and Lars Ulrich after all. And once you hear their trademark tune, "Metal on Metal," you can't help but feel like, at the least, it deserves to be on every Monsters of Rock collection alongside "We're Not Gonna Take It." Perhaps a song or two on Guitar Hero?

Whatever the case may be, ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL is certainly one of the must-see movies of the year so far. My one issue with it is that the doc can feel a bit contrived at times. When the band treks across LA to visit with the major record labels, for example, you have to wonder a bit how much of this was staged for the cameras. But that aside, there is a genuine passion and likability to the band that this movie completely captures. It can be sad to see these guys living out broken dreams, and at the same time hilarious to see the absurdity of their rock n' roll lifestyles that will not die. But at the same time this is an inspirational story - a real life lesson to keep the dream alive and never stop rockin'. Anvil rocks, dude.

My Grade: A-


- Alright, I'll save WOLVERINE for its own post. Until then, ROCK.

From Friday: a LOST post plus other random musings

NOTE: This post was originally written on Friday. Sorry for the publishing delay.



Wow. What a Celtics game last night, and what an incredible series it's been. I got home from Boston University's Redstone film festival last night eager to fire up the DVR and catch the fourth quarter of the game. Good thing I recorded an extra hour just in case ... as the game went into a remarkable triple overtime, after a series that has already seen multiple overtimes and multiple incredible, dramatic finishes.

Last night's finish was certainly disappointing as a Celtics fan, but still, you can't help but admire the heart that both teams showed throughout the game. It's hard to really hate the Bulls, as the current team is filled with a lot of fun-to-watch, exciting players who keep surprising me what they are capable of.

That said, Ray freaking Allen - wow. What a game and what a series it's been for one of my favorite players. I've always been a fan and a huge admirer of the man's talent, but the kind of bigtime, clutch play that Allen brought to the table in yesterday's game was of the kind that only a selct few - ever - have shown. And I'm thinking of the likes of Jordan, Reggie Miller, etc. Paul Pierce has had some bigtime moments as well, as has Rondo, but ultimately the Celtics are hurting with the lack of KG. Their interior defense has been soft, and guys like Derrick Rose have seemingly been able to get to the basket at will against the C's.

All I know is, it's going to be an epic Game 7 on Saturday. And while, on one hand, it would be fitting to have one more double-OT thriller, I also wouldn't really mind if the Celtics pile it on early and manage to get the decisive win. Let's go Celtics!



- I mentioned earlier that last night I went to BU's Redstone Film Fest event at Hollywood's Arclight theater. It was a fun time - I got to see a couple of interesting student films and also hear a panel on "diversification" in Hollywood, ie how to branch out into different areas, career-wise, and not get pigeonholed into one specific thing. Pretty interesting, and the panelists included people like:

Paul Michael Glaser, who was STARSKY on STARSKY AND HUTCH (!), and then went on the direct such movies as The Running Man (!!), The Cutting Edge (!), and KAZAAM (!!!!!).

Jerry Levine - married to Nina Tassler, top dog at CBS, and an actor/director who once had a supporting role on CHARLES IN CHARGE (!).

Plus, a lot of other cool people, but thought those two deserved a special mention, for obvious reasons.

Anyways, it was cool seeing a bunch of BU friends, a couple of former professors, and meeting a bunch of random alumni for what turned out to be some good networking opportunities. It's funn though, because at this point in my life I feel like I'm out of the whole "oh my god I'm so cool and work in Hollywood" phase that everyone goes through when they first move to LA. But man, with all the posturing and random schmoozing and "so what do YOU do?" conversations that go on at these events, they really do remind you of just how weird "Hollyweird" can be. Which, I guess, is good to be reminded of every so often. But if I hear anyone give an anecdote about life in "this town" or working in "this biz" anytime soon, I may have an urge to punch them.



TV STUFF:



- So how about this week's 100th episode of LOST? Personally, I thought it was a pretty spectacular episode, with a number of classic Lost moments and a sense of intensity and anticipation that made for one of the most edge-of-your-seat episodes in the series' history.

I loved the focus on Daniel Faraday. In the short time that he's been on Lost, Jeremy Davies has quickly become one of the show's most intriguing characters, and Davies brings a unique quality to the table that makes you hang on Faraday's every stammered-out word. Suffice it to say, the reveal of Faraday's tragic and twisted origins made for a stunning, mind-bending tale. There was some very clever time-loop logic at play here, and a surprising amount of information was revealed - particularly about Eloise Hawkings and her unique knowledge of the future and of the island. Of course, the big question is: why would she essentially sacrifice her own son? Is it for the greater good, the sake of the island, or just because she's an evil beyotch? We shall see, we shall see. But in the meantime, I'm sure there will be no shortage of crazy theories. Could Faraday be Jacob? Is Charles Widmore his own grandfather? Say whaaat?

In any case, this was one helluva episode of LOST. Once again, business has picked up.

My Grade: A



- Alright, time is short and I still have a lot to talk about. Check back soon for more.