Yup I'm doing something musical. I'm not going to call it a review, I might update it a later point when I've listened a bit more but here are some more in depth thoughts than what I've previously aired on Twitter.
First though the perfect quote describing my relationship with Weezer:
"Being a Weezer fan is like having an abusive boyfriend, when you first got together everything was great and you were in love. Then he hits you, you tell yourself you'll never go back to that, but he comes and apologizes, telling you it'll never happen again. So you take him back, because I mean he wrote Pinkerton...then he hits you again and again."
These sentiments are so entirely true. Whilst obviously I wasn't into Weezer back in 1994 (I was 2 for christsakes) but it still stands. Weezer were once amazing and someone I would say I could recommend to anyone, and I still would recommend Blue Album and Pinkerton to everyone. But almost everything post 2000 has been awful apart from one or two great songs which hark back to how great they were in the 90s.
So currently we've hit the third era of Weezer, each separated by their own self titled album (Blue, Green and Red). The first era consisted of the Blue Album and Pinkerton and in all honesty it might have been better if they broke up after it. They could have gone down in history as a great and yet short lived band. Whilst I love enough of their post 2000 songs, I still can't get the taste of songs like "We Are All On Drugs" or even the entirety of Maladroit out of my head. The second era consisted of the Green Album, Maladroit and Make Believe. This was their come back era and it was where they got a lot of newer fans and I guarantee if you ask most teenagers to name a Weezer song (casual fans that is) they will most likely name a song from this era ("Island in the Sun", which I like or "Beverly Hills", which I loathe) and I admittedly did get caught up in this era, but only on the strength of the great songs. Now we have era the third. This is the era of self parody. Look at the album covers to last years Red Album or Raditude and you can tell these guys aren't taking it seriously. There are jumping dogs and faux rap songs.
So now you've had your history album how is the album? I think I like it? I'm still not entirely sure. I sing along in parts, so obviously it's catchy but still it's forgettable. It's an odd paradox. It's not an album I'm going to go running through the streets telling people to buy. God no. But I might put it on occasionally if I want a pick me up.
It stands so much at odds with Pinkerton. Pinkerton is self produced with so much feedback and introspective lyrics. Raditude is poppy and catchy with some many rap producers a tongue in cheek feeling and some of the most party centric lyrics (the obvious "Can't Stop Partying" comes to mind) and it just feels right and wrong at the same time. It feels right for where the band is at the moment but just so wrong considering how large a fan I am of their 90s stuff.
I could quite easily live without this album as most people seem to. In fact this album seems to be so polarizing. I've seen people who get that it's all a bit of fun (like me to a certain extent) and others who think it's just flat out terrible and has no merit whatsoever (again a point I can see to some extent). Some of the songs on this album are just flat out offensively bad (seriously "Girl Got Hot" and "I'm Your Daddy"?!?! and yet I find them both irresistibly catchy) and others I actually quite enjoy (whilst it's not as good as the demo I have enjoyed "Can't Stop Partying" to a certain extent as well as "Run Over By A Truck" which is probably my favourite song on the album).
There are other songs, such as the Indian influenced "Love Is The Answer" as well songs I've heard before on Rivers' demo albums such as "The Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World" and "I Don't Want to Let You Go" or even the riff heavy "Get Me Some" (which even has a fucking solo! (well almost)).
Then there are just some plain bad and creppy lyrics. Stuff like "I'm Your Daddy" just doesn't sound good coming from Rivers' now he's 39 or lines like. Lines like " Your mom cooked meat loaf, even though I don’t eat meat. I dug you so much, I took some for the team " just don't seem right. So cheesy (even though I admittedly like the song they came from). Rivers used to write some of the most personal lyrics of all time (seriously go and listen to "Across the Sea", he's just pining to fuck a girl he doesn't even know and just sent him a letter! He's so frustrated and you can feel it in the song and lyrics which is why it's so good) he now seems like he isn't writing from the heart at all. I just wish he was, he was a forerunner of the emo movement and now he's a guy who is writing about partying and having 'Lil Wayne rap on his songs.
Catchiness and self parody don't make this album good, they make it bearable and a new guilty of pleasure of mine. Pinkerton and Blue Album will forever hold a spot in my heart as all time great albums. Nothing post 2000 gets that kind of response from me with Weezer, but I have a soft spot for everything they do, even if it's bad. I can listen to pretty much every song they've ever recorded with no qualms. But it's only Pinkerton and Blue Album that have me coming back that much more, and I don't see that changing with Raditude.
I'll probably listen to a bit more (I'm currently listening to it as I write this) but compared to the amount of quite frankly amazing albums this year, Raditude falls someway short. It isn't the best album ever but it certainly isn't the worse, as long as you get what they're aiming for. Weezer aren't taking it seriously anymore. Rivers is writing songs for himself now, not fans. He doesn't give a shit about fans anymore. His mantra is if you like it fine, if you don't, who cares?
He's never going to write Pinkerton Part 2 but as long as what he's doing right now makes him happy, I can applaud that. I just wish he'd find the time to write a truly great album again and knock down all that haters.
Several times recently he's shown great promise, songs like "The Spider", "Pig", "Miss Sweeney" and "Island in the Sun" or even demos released like "Longtime Sunshine" or "Lovers in the Snow" show how talented he can be. Bottle that and put it on an album and prove you can still do it, not just writing for you're own little bubble and ignoring everything else.
Raditude is fun, catchy and poppy. Sadly it also isn't overly good or memorable. I might put it on occasionally but it won't stay in my rotation like the great albums of this like fun.'s 'Aim and Ignite', Thrice's 'Beggars' or Dear Hunter's 'Act III: Life and Death'. Weezer have reinvented themselves for a second time this decade and sadly it wasn't the reinvention that fans wanted to see. Maybe the 2010s will hold something better for Weezer fans?*
Overall I'd say skip it, dig out Blue Album or Pinkerton (or another album you truly love) than listen to Raditude. You might like it, but more likely you'll hate it, wish you'd never done and want to go listen to some good music, so I'm just getting rid of the middle step.
*Probably not, especially following the first album with Weezer swearing in a song (although this was admittedly done by Lil Wayne)
Tuesday 27 October 2009
Sunday 25 October 2009
Of Dollhouse - "Belonging"
This will hopefully be the start of something a lot more frequent where I take an individual episode of a show and rave (or rant) about it. I will probably still be avoiding comedies just because of the difficulty I find in ranking individual episodes (other than very occasionally where the results are amazing, see 30 Rock "Season 4"). So it'll mostly be drama series, such as Dollhouse, Mad Men and Lost. So here we go why I absolutely adored the latest episode of Dollhouse.
So if you read this blog a lot you might know that Dollhouse is very a flawed show. It fluctuates between absolutely brilliance and absolute awfulness. Luckily this season has had a lot more good episodes but also stuff that just doesn't work (the episode where Echo is a mother is a good example) but luckily we haven't hit the absolute shite that we had hit in Season 1 by this point (pick pretty much any episode from 2-5). Luckily the show does have those occasional moments of sheer brilliance, episode 6, 8, 9, 11 and 13 from Season 1 spring to mind and now episode 4 from Season 2.
This episode did pretty much everything right. It advanced the plot more towards what we saw in last season's equally sublime "Epitaph One" and managed to minimize the effect that Eliza Dushku's lack of overall acting does to the show. Sadly she just can't handle being the lead character of Dollhouse due to the fact that it just feels like she's playing the same character more often than not. This shows in that most episodes which are brilliant definitely have her in a more subdued presence. This is what happens in this episode. This episode mostly follows around Sierra (played to stunning perfection by Dichen Lachman) as we find more about the circumstance that led to her becoming a Doll. Dichen Lachman just exudes a chemistry and natural talent that Eliza Dushku just doesn't and it's episodes like this that make me wish that she wasn't the lead or at the very least the show was far more of an ensemble with Dushku taking far more frequent trips to the back of the group
This is some of the most compelling stuff that the show has pulled off and at first I wasn't too interested in what we were going to find out but when the quality of what we saw was this brilliant I have no complaints. We get introduced to quite possibly the most evil man ever (and he's not supervillain evil or just messed in the head evil, he's just so in love with this person*) and we tell a tale of drugs, rape, brainwashing and true love. At times touching and at others genuinely pretty heavy for a network television. We follow through a series of flashbacks interspersed with various different parts of the present day, advancement of the overarching and Dichen Lachman playing not one but THREE different versions of the same character, all of whom are played astonishingly well. Of course the circumstances of her becoming a Doll are exceedingly shocking, all played behind the seedy backdrop of the Dollhouse, and whilst some might think that they've got the best interests of the Doll's in mind, you can't help but feel these people have seriously compromised morals.
The hour is just packed with twists and just some of the most disturbing stuff to come from television in a while, Dollhouse is very dark and it's subject matter is very touchy, luckily episodes like this just make it work. Anything that deals with slavery and rape is obviously going to have to be done in a certain way and this episode plays it to perfection, luckily buoyed by the brilliant Dichen Lachman (honestly I don't think I'll be able to stop raving about how great she was in this episode)
Of course we get other great performances this episode, Topher (Fran Kranz) moves more and more towards what we saw him like in "Epitaph One" adding far more layers to his character beyond the computer geek without morals (his story this season has definitely been the most compelling, especially his scenes with Amy Acker in the premiere). Harry Lenix gets to go all badass as Boyd in something I've only really seen done on Breaking Bad and Enver Gjokaj buts on an ever amazing performance as Victor. However if you know Joss Whedon something bad is coming because of the sweet nativity that exists in him, seriously Joss Whedon is a complete dick when it comes to happiness (see pretty much everything he's ever done)
Then we have the behind the scenes personnel. This episode was written by Maurissa Tncharoen and Jed Whedon who also last seasons "Epitaph One"(and also "Stage Fright" so it's not all gold) and was directed by Jonathan Frakes who played Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation (he also directed Thunderbirds, so again it's not all gold). The combination of this director, writer and these actors make the show just flow so well that it comes off without a hitch.
Whilst Dollhouse might still be in for bumpy ride (particularly with being taken off the air till December and cancellation looming) as long as they can continue to put out great episodes like this, I'll be more than happy (although the double dose of Summer Glau we'll get on December 4th will have a similar effect). If you haven't watched Dollhouse just know that after a bumpy first few episodes it gets very good, occasionally brilliant. If you've fallen off the band wagon, just know that this show is a brilliant sign of things to come and if you've already seen "Belonging" then you know just brilliant and awe inspiring this episode was.
10/10
*if I can I'm so using this in my English. Guy continually rents the same empty husk of a human being to have sex with who hates every second of the time she spends with him? Sounds like Love Through the Ages to Me
So if you read this blog a lot you might know that Dollhouse is very a flawed show. It fluctuates between absolutely brilliance and absolute awfulness. Luckily this season has had a lot more good episodes but also stuff that just doesn't work (the episode where Echo is a mother is a good example) but luckily we haven't hit the absolute shite that we had hit in Season 1 by this point (pick pretty much any episode from 2-5). Luckily the show does have those occasional moments of sheer brilliance, episode 6, 8, 9, 11 and 13 from Season 1 spring to mind and now episode 4 from Season 2.
This episode did pretty much everything right. It advanced the plot more towards what we saw in last season's equally sublime "Epitaph One" and managed to minimize the effect that Eliza Dushku's lack of overall acting does to the show. Sadly she just can't handle being the lead character of Dollhouse due to the fact that it just feels like she's playing the same character more often than not. This shows in that most episodes which are brilliant definitely have her in a more subdued presence. This is what happens in this episode. This episode mostly follows around Sierra (played to stunning perfection by Dichen Lachman) as we find more about the circumstance that led to her becoming a Doll. Dichen Lachman just exudes a chemistry and natural talent that Eliza Dushku just doesn't and it's episodes like this that make me wish that she wasn't the lead or at the very least the show was far more of an ensemble with Dushku taking far more frequent trips to the back of the group
This is some of the most compelling stuff that the show has pulled off and at first I wasn't too interested in what we were going to find out but when the quality of what we saw was this brilliant I have no complaints. We get introduced to quite possibly the most evil man ever (and he's not supervillain evil or just messed in the head evil, he's just so in love with this person*) and we tell a tale of drugs, rape, brainwashing and true love. At times touching and at others genuinely pretty heavy for a network television. We follow through a series of flashbacks interspersed with various different parts of the present day, advancement of the overarching and Dichen Lachman playing not one but THREE different versions of the same character, all of whom are played astonishingly well. Of course the circumstances of her becoming a Doll are exceedingly shocking, all played behind the seedy backdrop of the Dollhouse, and whilst some might think that they've got the best interests of the Doll's in mind, you can't help but feel these people have seriously compromised morals.
The hour is just packed with twists and just some of the most disturbing stuff to come from television in a while, Dollhouse is very dark and it's subject matter is very touchy, luckily episodes like this just make it work. Anything that deals with slavery and rape is obviously going to have to be done in a certain way and this episode plays it to perfection, luckily buoyed by the brilliant Dichen Lachman (honestly I don't think I'll be able to stop raving about how great she was in this episode)
Of course we get other great performances this episode, Topher (Fran Kranz) moves more and more towards what we saw him like in "Epitaph One" adding far more layers to his character beyond the computer geek without morals (his story this season has definitely been the most compelling, especially his scenes with Amy Acker in the premiere). Harry Lenix gets to go all badass as Boyd in something I've only really seen done on Breaking Bad and Enver Gjokaj buts on an ever amazing performance as Victor. However if you know Joss Whedon something bad is coming because of the sweet nativity that exists in him, seriously Joss Whedon is a complete dick when it comes to happiness (see pretty much everything he's ever done)
Then we have the behind the scenes personnel. This episode was written by Maurissa Tncharoen and Jed Whedon who also last seasons "Epitaph One"(and also "Stage Fright" so it's not all gold) and was directed by Jonathan Frakes who played Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation (he also directed Thunderbirds, so again it's not all gold). The combination of this director, writer and these actors make the show just flow so well that it comes off without a hitch.
Whilst Dollhouse might still be in for bumpy ride (particularly with being taken off the air till December and cancellation looming) as long as they can continue to put out great episodes like this, I'll be more than happy (although the double dose of Summer Glau we'll get on December 4th will have a similar effect). If you haven't watched Dollhouse just know that after a bumpy first few episodes it gets very good, occasionally brilliant. If you've fallen off the band wagon, just know that this show is a brilliant sign of things to come and if you've already seen "Belonging" then you know just brilliant and awe inspiring this episode was.
10/10
*if I can I'm so using this in my English. Guy continually rents the same empty husk of a human being to have sex with who hates every second of the time she spends with him? Sounds like Love Through the Ages to Me
Saturday 24 October 2009
Of The New Television Season 2009
Yup it's back and it's very late. This time however I get the added benefit of being able to look at more than one show before I rank it. I will also be updating this list with Fringe, Modern Family, V, Dexter and Cougar Town at a some point down the line due to not having seen enough yet of these shows. 30 Rock despite only airing two episodes will however be included because it's just that damn funny. So here go in rank order from best to worst the shows of the new television season!
First off a split between returning and new shows.
New Shows:
Glee
Hands down the best new show of the season. Glee is just a lot of fun. It's everything High School Musical should be but can't due to it's Disney stamp. It's absolutely hilarious (biggest honours go to Jane Lynch who sadly will not be back for Party Down Season 2). Then there's the fact that the music is really well done. Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of modern popular music, even I'll admit I enjoyed the bit where all the football players danced to "Single Ladies". If the show can continue in this campy over the top soap opera like way but still be as winky and hilarious as it is now, I may have a new contender for funnest show on television (especially due to the current lack of Chuck).
Community
After a brilliant first couple of episodes, Community has sadly put out several lackluster episodes in a row. The show still has a ton of potential but sadly isn't quite reaching it at the moment. Abed is brilliant and Joel McHale shines through with an absolutely winning and great performance. Sadly the characters a just a little bit too one dimensional and Chevy Chase hasn't been as funny as he could be (especially after the brilliant classroom scene a few episodes back). The show really needs to bring Joel McHale to the forefront more, give us more Abed and develop the characters stat. I have faith we'll get another brilliant episode soon, plus the full season pick up should give the writers time to figure out what works and what doesn't
Flashforward
The show with the most compelling concept of the new season. Sadly it still isn't quite pushing all the right buttons. For a show billed as the next Lost it is nowhere near as interesting as Lost was by this stage. By episode 5 of Lost we already the truly stunning 2 hour pilot (something Flashfoward should have had) and the absolutely sublime Walkabout, one of the greatest hours of television ever. It was also a multi-layered character drama with some really compelling characters who wanted to follow and find out more about. Even the complete dicks became compelling. Sadly Flashforward doesn't make us want to do this. I don't love any of the characters (although I am really enjoying John Cho and the promise of Dominic Monaghan joining the show is interesting). Plus the actually event of Flashforward seems to be of secondary nature to the mystery. There has been very little visual fallout to the actually event, something which could have been exceedingly compelling. Watching what people become after a massive cataclysm? Awesome. All we got was the main character running through the streets. By the end of the day everything was seemingly back to normal. No traffic jams, no overtime at the hospital. Our characters came back to their house just in time to add pieces to the (admittedly quite cool) mystery. Lost had the characters moments and human nature to back up them mystery. However you can't just have a show based on a mystery. It might be what gives a show a rabid fan base but it doesn't build one. If Locke, Ben, Hurely, Desmond, Sawyer, Jack, Daniel hadn't been in Lost the show just wouldn't feel the same and probably wouldn't have the furor it currently possesses. Hopefully Flashforward can pull it together because it is a compelling concept, sadly the current execution is lacking.
Returning Shows:
Mad Men
I've raved about this show enough and will be raving even more in my review of Season 3 in a few weeks and (SPOILERS!!!) when it tops the year end list of best television shows of 2009 after Christmas. Just know it's the best show on television and if you're not watching it you're retarded
Supernatural
Caught up over Summer and I'm glad I did. It's fun and epic. The Apocalypse story is only getting better and it keeps churning out fantastic episodes week after week. Plus two of the upcoming episodes look to be absolutely superb (the return of The Trickster and a mid-season finale which sounds epic). Another show which if you're not watching you're an idiot.
Dexter
Whilst Dexter Season 3 certainly wasn't as balls to the walls fantastic as Season 2, it still gave us Michael C. Hall's riveting performance as one of the finest characters on television. The same can be said of Jimmy Smitts as Miguel Prado, but sadly he hasn't returned for Season 4 for obvious reasons. But we still get Michael C. Hall and the quest for a new serial killer stalking Miami. Obviously the show won't be as tense as it was in Season 2 (at least until maybe the final season) but we still get a master class in how to do a compromised crime series with the very definition of anti-hero at the centre. Season 4 has been great so far focusing on the real life issues of Dexter's life, juxtaposed with the serial killer nature as well as the very enjoyable looking of this seasons Big Bad, The Trinity Killer, who so far is probably the most fucked in the head killer the show has had and I can't wait to see where the rest of this story goes.
How I Met Your Mother
Funniest show on television with a lot of heart, crazy time bending stories and the one and only Neil Patrick Harris as the superb Barney Stinson. Really that's the only reason you need. The show is just as great and creative as ever (although the episode two weeks was seriously weak)
30 Rock + The Office
I'm putting these two shows together just because. Both seriously funny and a very tight and enjoyable duo of comedies. Nothing more to say apart from them both being seriously funny and definite must watches for fans of good comedy. The writing and acting are of their normal top notch but really you shouldn't come to expect anything less from two of the best all round comedies on television. (As a note the premiere of 30 Rock was absolutely stunning and probably the singly funniest thing I've seen all season from any show including HIMYM and Glee)
Dollhouse
This is mostly for the latest episode which was crazy good. Whilst the show still suffers from the same flaws as Season 1, the second season has gone a long way to repair some of them and is definitely building to crazy good stuff, especially with the introduction of Summer Glau in the next episode (which sadly won't be on until December). However the latest episode was just superb (I may even do an entire blog post devoted to it). Whilst stuff like the episode where Echo became a mother weren't brilliant they were at least decent. Sadly the show still continues to fluctuate between god-awful, decent and brilliant a lot. I just hope the current run of brilliance will continue into the next few episodes (a two-parter) and hopefully we get more on the Epitaph One world we saw at the end of Season 1 (especially as those scenes were shot for the premiere)
Parks and Recreation
The show has seen massive improvements from it's first season and now makes me laugh a lot more frequently. The characters gel better and some have gone from being painfully dull to downright hilarious. This show is getting better with every episode, so I expect to see this climbing higher as it goes on.
South Park
South Park is mostly this low down due to potential. The current batches of episodes have been very good with great material, South Park is definitely one of the best comedies on television but at the moment it definitely isn't as perfect as it was in Season 10 or 11. Whilst not as awful as some moments in Season 12 this season rests somewhere in the middle. Whilst still being hilarious (as South Park is most of the time) I just wish we could something of the genius level as 'Cartoon Wars', 'Make Love Not Warcraft', 'With Apologies to Jesse Jackson' or 'Fantastic Easter Special'
Heroes
Whilst it might seem I'm bashing Heroes again, I'm actually not. Whilst it's at the bottom of this list again it's not because it's bad. In fact it's actually good. It's just not as good as any of the other returning shows. However every single returning show this season has been great and Heroes has been a real surprise considering the dip in quality. It really does feel like Bryan Fuller's all too brief return had an amazing effect because the show has had a drastic improvement in quality. We've got some decent character drama, interesting developments and whilst some of the show is still lacking (Hiro should stop being comic relief, he works well in dramatic situations, see latest episode as proof) the show has come on by leaps and bounds. Hopefully the show will continue on this streak with compelling stories (hell Sylar is part of two of the seasons best stories and that's ignoring Peter's story entirely) we might yet achieve a season to rival the brilliant (if now sullied Season 1). Sadly it also looks like Mohinder will be back next month which is never a good sign (particularly in now Bryan Fuller-less world). Just as long as we keep a limited number of stories per episode (we don't need everyone, the show has been working so much better with 2 or 3 stories an episode) Heroes might become more enjoyable yet!
That should be it, remember to check back for updates or if you have any questions on any of the shows (particularly the ones with limited briefs) then comment away and I'll get back to you.
First off a split between returning and new shows.
New Shows:
Glee
Hands down the best new show of the season. Glee is just a lot of fun. It's everything High School Musical should be but can't due to it's Disney stamp. It's absolutely hilarious (biggest honours go to Jane Lynch who sadly will not be back for Party Down Season 2). Then there's the fact that the music is really well done. Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of modern popular music, even I'll admit I enjoyed the bit where all the football players danced to "Single Ladies". If the show can continue in this campy over the top soap opera like way but still be as winky and hilarious as it is now, I may have a new contender for funnest show on television (especially due to the current lack of Chuck).
Community
After a brilliant first couple of episodes, Community has sadly put out several lackluster episodes in a row. The show still has a ton of potential but sadly isn't quite reaching it at the moment. Abed is brilliant and Joel McHale shines through with an absolutely winning and great performance. Sadly the characters a just a little bit too one dimensional and Chevy Chase hasn't been as funny as he could be (especially after the brilliant classroom scene a few episodes back). The show really needs to bring Joel McHale to the forefront more, give us more Abed and develop the characters stat. I have faith we'll get another brilliant episode soon, plus the full season pick up should give the writers time to figure out what works and what doesn't
Flashforward
The show with the most compelling concept of the new season. Sadly it still isn't quite pushing all the right buttons. For a show billed as the next Lost it is nowhere near as interesting as Lost was by this stage. By episode 5 of Lost we already the truly stunning 2 hour pilot (something Flashfoward should have had) and the absolutely sublime Walkabout, one of the greatest hours of television ever. It was also a multi-layered character drama with some really compelling characters who wanted to follow and find out more about. Even the complete dicks became compelling. Sadly Flashforward doesn't make us want to do this. I don't love any of the characters (although I am really enjoying John Cho and the promise of Dominic Monaghan joining the show is interesting). Plus the actually event of Flashforward seems to be of secondary nature to the mystery. There has been very little visual fallout to the actually event, something which could have been exceedingly compelling. Watching what people become after a massive cataclysm? Awesome. All we got was the main character running through the streets. By the end of the day everything was seemingly back to normal. No traffic jams, no overtime at the hospital. Our characters came back to their house just in time to add pieces to the (admittedly quite cool) mystery. Lost had the characters moments and human nature to back up them mystery. However you can't just have a show based on a mystery. It might be what gives a show a rabid fan base but it doesn't build one. If Locke, Ben, Hurely, Desmond, Sawyer, Jack, Daniel hadn't been in Lost the show just wouldn't feel the same and probably wouldn't have the furor it currently possesses. Hopefully Flashforward can pull it together because it is a compelling concept, sadly the current execution is lacking.
Returning Shows:
Mad Men
I've raved about this show enough and will be raving even more in my review of Season 3 in a few weeks and (SPOILERS!!!) when it tops the year end list of best television shows of 2009 after Christmas. Just know it's the best show on television and if you're not watching it you're retarded
Supernatural
Caught up over Summer and I'm glad I did. It's fun and epic. The Apocalypse story is only getting better and it keeps churning out fantastic episodes week after week. Plus two of the upcoming episodes look to be absolutely superb (the return of The Trickster and a mid-season finale which sounds epic). Another show which if you're not watching you're an idiot.
Dexter
Whilst Dexter Season 3 certainly wasn't as balls to the walls fantastic as Season 2, it still gave us Michael C. Hall's riveting performance as one of the finest characters on television. The same can be said of Jimmy Smitts as Miguel Prado, but sadly he hasn't returned for Season 4 for obvious reasons. But we still get Michael C. Hall and the quest for a new serial killer stalking Miami. Obviously the show won't be as tense as it was in Season 2 (at least until maybe the final season) but we still get a master class in how to do a compromised crime series with the very definition of anti-hero at the centre. Season 4 has been great so far focusing on the real life issues of Dexter's life, juxtaposed with the serial killer nature as well as the very enjoyable looking of this seasons Big Bad, The Trinity Killer, who so far is probably the most fucked in the head killer the show has had and I can't wait to see where the rest of this story goes.
How I Met Your Mother
Funniest show on television with a lot of heart, crazy time bending stories and the one and only Neil Patrick Harris as the superb Barney Stinson. Really that's the only reason you need. The show is just as great and creative as ever (although the episode two weeks was seriously weak)
30 Rock + The Office
I'm putting these two shows together just because. Both seriously funny and a very tight and enjoyable duo of comedies. Nothing more to say apart from them both being seriously funny and definite must watches for fans of good comedy. The writing and acting are of their normal top notch but really you shouldn't come to expect anything less from two of the best all round comedies on television. (As a note the premiere of 30 Rock was absolutely stunning and probably the singly funniest thing I've seen all season from any show including HIMYM and Glee)
Dollhouse
This is mostly for the latest episode which was crazy good. Whilst the show still suffers from the same flaws as Season 1, the second season has gone a long way to repair some of them and is definitely building to crazy good stuff, especially with the introduction of Summer Glau in the next episode (which sadly won't be on until December). However the latest episode was just superb (I may even do an entire blog post devoted to it). Whilst stuff like the episode where Echo became a mother weren't brilliant they were at least decent. Sadly the show still continues to fluctuate between god-awful, decent and brilliant a lot. I just hope the current run of brilliance will continue into the next few episodes (a two-parter) and hopefully we get more on the Epitaph One world we saw at the end of Season 1 (especially as those scenes were shot for the premiere)
Parks and Recreation
The show has seen massive improvements from it's first season and now makes me laugh a lot more frequently. The characters gel better and some have gone from being painfully dull to downright hilarious. This show is getting better with every episode, so I expect to see this climbing higher as it goes on.
South Park
South Park is mostly this low down due to potential. The current batches of episodes have been very good with great material, South Park is definitely one of the best comedies on television but at the moment it definitely isn't as perfect as it was in Season 10 or 11. Whilst not as awful as some moments in Season 12 this season rests somewhere in the middle. Whilst still being hilarious (as South Park is most of the time) I just wish we could something of the genius level as 'Cartoon Wars', 'Make Love Not Warcraft', 'With Apologies to Jesse Jackson' or 'Fantastic Easter Special'
Heroes
Whilst it might seem I'm bashing Heroes again, I'm actually not. Whilst it's at the bottom of this list again it's not because it's bad. In fact it's actually good. It's just not as good as any of the other returning shows. However every single returning show this season has been great and Heroes has been a real surprise considering the dip in quality. It really does feel like Bryan Fuller's all too brief return had an amazing effect because the show has had a drastic improvement in quality. We've got some decent character drama, interesting developments and whilst some of the show is still lacking (Hiro should stop being comic relief, he works well in dramatic situations, see latest episode as proof) the show has come on by leaps and bounds. Hopefully the show will continue on this streak with compelling stories (hell Sylar is part of two of the seasons best stories and that's ignoring Peter's story entirely) we might yet achieve a season to rival the brilliant (if now sullied Season 1). Sadly it also looks like Mohinder will be back next month which is never a good sign (particularly in now Bryan Fuller-less world). Just as long as we keep a limited number of stories per episode (we don't need everyone, the show has been working so much better with 2 or 3 stories an episode) Heroes might become more enjoyable yet!
That should be it, remember to check back for updates or if you have any questions on any of the shows (particularly the ones with limited briefs) then comment away and I'll get back to you.
Of Up
If you know me then you know I love Pixar. They're the most consistent film makers on the planet and have put only one film that can be seen as not being of the up most quality (seriously what were you thinking with Cars and why are you making a Cars 2?) These are the guys that gave us Toy Story 1 + 2, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Wall-E. So how does Up compare? Does it soar or does it slowly deflate in the corner?
Well there's only one possible answer to that question. It soars. It soars so amazingly high it's in trouble of popping due to proximity to that big ball of gas we call the sun.
I will admit to having some problems with Up when I saw the first teaser trailer. I mean seriously a old guy who attaches balloons to his house and goes on a trip? It just doesn't sound like a compelling movie. However that's the magic of Pixar, they take things you don't think will work and make them work so well. They made a movie about a trash collecting robot wherein for the first half of the movie there's no dialogue work beautifully in what was one of my favourite movies of last year and they do the same here.
The basic plot to Up is that Carl Fredricksen as a boy is obsessed with adventure and falls in love with a girl with very similar passions. They marry and grow old together and try to raise money for a trip to South America however sadly his wife dies before he gets the chance (this all told in one of the most gorgeous and sentimental sequences ever put to film). After this Carl grows old and disillusioned with life and is eventually evicted from his house (involving on of the more shocking and mature scenes Pixar have ever made) however he decides to attach balloons to his house and go on the journey he promised his wife in South America. In doing this he also kidnaps a small scout named Russel, accidentally of course
I'm not going to spoil any more because honestly that's already the first half hour of the movie and all I really went in knowing. What follows is one of the funniest, heartwarming, exhilarating and moving movies I've seen in a long time. Pixar just get how to make a brilliant and layered movie. Plus they don't mess kids around. They know that they can deal with issues such as death and divorce and things like that. They don't treat them like children, they just give them something fundamentally enjoyable to watch and it's why Pixar are the masters of animated films, just like their parent company Disney were in the 20th century.
Up is just a film that needs to be experienced. On almost every level it's perfect. It looks stunning, the voice actors are all brilliant, the story is superbly told, it's hilarious and dramatic at the same time and is just one of the most stunning film packages to come to film in a long time. Whilst it might not be as utterly superb and brilliant as last years Wall-E it's still an absolutely incredible film and one I would recommend to anyone. As long as you aren't some sort of misanthropic manic depressive who has no heart to them whatsoever.
Pixar just make brilliant films. I really don't want to spoil any of it for you if you haven't seen it and I honestly have no complaints at all. The interplay between Carl and Russel is absolutely superb ranging from touching to funny on the go. In fact Russel steals pretty much any scene he's in due to the way that he plays off of other characters (in particular Kevin who in his first scene with Russel had me in stitches).
Pixar have made yet another sublime film here, one that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. If you've enjoyed any of their previous films or just enjoy good cinema then you owe it to yourself to go and see this film. I promise you'll come out of it feeling a lot better for it.
10/10*
*Just as a note The Wrestler is still my favourite film of the year despite the slightly lower score
Of True Blood Season 2
One of the most addicting and down right fun on shows continued in stellar fashion for it's second season. Because I've done one review already in the past few months for True Blood, this sis really going to be rehashing a lot of the same points that made the show work for it's first season. I mean honestly if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Season 2 definitely went bigger when compared to Season. We now know the characters and we're thrown head first into the action. Especially considering the first season ends on a cliffhanger. True Blood does cliffhangers like no other show. Every single episode ends with one and they aren't little lines of dialogue or reveals. These are full blown cliffhangers, characters will quite frequently end up on the wrong side of a life or death situation and add up to make the show feel very fast paced.
True Blood runs at a blistering pace, so much is crammed into one episode that it almost feels like overkill. Whilst not all of it is necessarily as good as other parts (for reasons I'll explain later), the show will quickly move through a hundred plot points in one episode. Season 2 runs at an even faster pace due to the fact that it just delves into far more stories with far more characters and still makes it work. Whilst Season 2 isn't necessarily better than Season 1 it does improve on some points whilst being weaker on some others.
Such as lasts seasons MVP Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) sadly having a serious decrease in screen time (if you've seen the last episode of Season 1 you'll know why), however other characters have more than come into the fold. Many people would rave about Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) in Season 1 but I left him out of my review last time due to the fact that he wasn't there as much. However Season 2 improved greatly on this by having so much screen time for Eric. He came forward as such a brilliant character. Exactly what you want from a vampire on television. This guy is dark and twisted and will stop at nothing to get what he wants but he still has a heart and you just want to root for him. Eric definitely stands at odds to Bill (Stephen Moyer) who quite often comes off as a bit dull but luckily does play off of Eric very nicely (especially considering Eric's feelings for Sookie). Speaking of whom, whilst Sookie is very definitely the lead character, like so many other shows she isn't really anyone's favourite. I love Anna Paquin and her story is definitely enjoyable for the season but give me Jason and Andy any day just for the sheer comic genius that those two are together (look out for that later in the season).
Now the plotting of the season. Season 1 was exceedingly tightly plotted, with reveals and events happening at just the right point for each story. Whilst the same can be said for 95% of Season 2 one part just needed to be picked up a little, namely Tara's story. Due to the fact most of the characters aren't in Bon Temps for Season 2, it suffers from having very little to play off and stalls a little towards the middle of the season whilst the other major plotline of the season is wrapping up. Tara's story focuses upon the Big Bad of Season 2 and whilst leads to very interesting points and a great performance from Michelle Forbes it just needed something else (probably from only having one of the shows best characters involved in the story whilst Jason, Eric, Jessica and Hoyt spend time in Dallas). However luckily it still leads to a compelling ending (even if the finale really ends half way into the episode with the last half literally being the start of Season 3).
True Blood is an amazingly fun show. It's gory and sexy in a way no other show on television is. The characters are for the most part all interesting (Tara being the biggest weak link in the show) and we get some really pairings for this second season (Jessica and Hoyt FTW). My main issue is that for all the improvements it made it added a few flaws to seemingly balance the mix. The show is still great but it didn't make the great leap forward to distance itself from a stellar first season, the biggest being stretching a small plot point in the book to being a full season arc just didn't have the the punch to pull it off 100%.
I'm still massively on tenderhooks for Season 3, it's still massive amounts of fun and Season 2 is just as good as Season 1 but I was hoping it would be better. Luckily Season 3 looks set to do that with the introduction of werewolves (inevitable Twilight comparisons will also follow). The show at the moment is gloriously campy and plain fun and occasionally whilst shows like Mad Men and The Wire are truly sublime, all we want is a bit of fun.
9/10
Season 2 definitely went bigger when compared to Season. We now know the characters and we're thrown head first into the action. Especially considering the first season ends on a cliffhanger. True Blood does cliffhangers like no other show. Every single episode ends with one and they aren't little lines of dialogue or reveals. These are full blown cliffhangers, characters will quite frequently end up on the wrong side of a life or death situation and add up to make the show feel very fast paced.
True Blood runs at a blistering pace, so much is crammed into one episode that it almost feels like overkill. Whilst not all of it is necessarily as good as other parts (for reasons I'll explain later), the show will quickly move through a hundred plot points in one episode. Season 2 runs at an even faster pace due to the fact that it just delves into far more stories with far more characters and still makes it work. Whilst Season 2 isn't necessarily better than Season 1 it does improve on some points whilst being weaker on some others.
Such as lasts seasons MVP Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) sadly having a serious decrease in screen time (if you've seen the last episode of Season 1 you'll know why), however other characters have more than come into the fold. Many people would rave about Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) in Season 1 but I left him out of my review last time due to the fact that he wasn't there as much. However Season 2 improved greatly on this by having so much screen time for Eric. He came forward as such a brilliant character. Exactly what you want from a vampire on television. This guy is dark and twisted and will stop at nothing to get what he wants but he still has a heart and you just want to root for him. Eric definitely stands at odds to Bill (Stephen Moyer) who quite often comes off as a bit dull but luckily does play off of Eric very nicely (especially considering Eric's feelings for Sookie). Speaking of whom, whilst Sookie is very definitely the lead character, like so many other shows she isn't really anyone's favourite. I love Anna Paquin and her story is definitely enjoyable for the season but give me Jason and Andy any day just for the sheer comic genius that those two are together (look out for that later in the season).
Now the plotting of the season. Season 1 was exceedingly tightly plotted, with reveals and events happening at just the right point for each story. Whilst the same can be said for 95% of Season 2 one part just needed to be picked up a little, namely Tara's story. Due to the fact most of the characters aren't in Bon Temps for Season 2, it suffers from having very little to play off and stalls a little towards the middle of the season whilst the other major plotline of the season is wrapping up. Tara's story focuses upon the Big Bad of Season 2 and whilst leads to very interesting points and a great performance from Michelle Forbes it just needed something else (probably from only having one of the shows best characters involved in the story whilst Jason, Eric, Jessica and Hoyt spend time in Dallas). However luckily it still leads to a compelling ending (even if the finale really ends half way into the episode with the last half literally being the start of Season 3).
True Blood is an amazingly fun show. It's gory and sexy in a way no other show on television is. The characters are for the most part all interesting (Tara being the biggest weak link in the show) and we get some really pairings for this second season (Jessica and Hoyt FTW). My main issue is that for all the improvements it made it added a few flaws to seemingly balance the mix. The show is still great but it didn't make the great leap forward to distance itself from a stellar first season, the biggest being stretching a small plot point in the book to being a full season arc just didn't have the the punch to pull it off 100%.
I'm still massively on tenderhooks for Season 3, it's still massive amounts of fun and Season 2 is just as good as Season 1 but I was hoping it would be better. Luckily Season 3 looks set to do that with the introduction of werewolves (inevitable Twilight comparisons will also follow). The show at the moment is gloriously campy and plain fun and occasionally whilst shows like Mad Men and The Wire are truly sublime, all we want is a bit of fun.
9/10
Saturday 10 October 2009
October 2009
Apologies for late blog post but honestly it's a mixture of not being arsed, busyness and lack of things to say. So all I will say is that if I do find any free time I'm going to attempt to review True Blood Season 2, a round up of the new shows this fall and maybe some other things.
Honestly that's about it. Until next time I guess
Currently Listening To: Act II: The Meaning of & All Things Regarding Mrs. Leading - The Dear Hunter
Currently Watching (Movie) - The Hurt Locker
Currently Reading: Sophie's World
Honestly that's about it. Until next time I guess
Currently Listening To: Act II: The Meaning of & All Things Regarding Mrs. Leading - The Dear Hunter
Currently Watching (Movie) - The Hurt Locker
Currently Reading: Sophie's World
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