Number of Songs: 6215 Number of Albums: 1358 Most Recently Played Song: "Everything is One Big Christmas Tree" Magnetic Fields Most Played Song: "Jigsaw Falling into Place" Radiohead Most Recently Added Album:Bleach / Nirvana (reissue)
First Song Alphabetically: "A.C. Cover" Camper Van Beethoven Last Song Alphabetically: "ZZ Top Goes to Egypt" Camper Van Beethoven First Song Numerically: "007 (Shanty town)" Desmond Dekker Last Song Numerically: "90-Mile Water Wall" The National Shortest Song: "(Untitled)" Maxwell (:05) Longest Song: "Photogram/Om Eye Sweet Isthmus" Camper Van Beethoven (19:40)
First Album Alphabetically:(a)spera / Mirah Last Album Alphabetically: Zen Arcade / Husker Du First Album Numerically: #1 Record/Radio City / Big Star Last Album Numerically:3 Rounds and Sound / Blind Pilot
First Five Songs That Pop Up On Shuffle iTunes DJ: "Tower Song" Martha Wainwright "Room a Thousand Years Wide" Soundgarden "Flume" Bon Iver "Senor 007" Ray Barretto "Good Feeling" Violent Femmes
Conclusion: I need to get some of that Camper Van off the hard drive....
Dollhouse, Season 2 I intended to post episode reviews, but laziness and a sense of fruitlessness, compelled me to abstain. In other words, I would be saying the same thing every week: stand-alone eps are weak and absurd, while the interior eps dealing with the ethics and background of the Dollhouse are some of the most intriguing television drama I've seen.
Stand-alones Eliza and Tamoh, and their characters, still interest me the least. Though, I will say both the writing for them and their performances are better than what we saw during the first season. Nonetheless, when Echo and Paul take center stage, the rest of the DHers seem to lose dozens of IQ points: Really, who thought leaving the serial killer unguarded and still alive was a good idea? Anyone can come in or out of the place, unchecked and unseen.
TPTB also hit and miss with their use of guest stars. Jamie Bamber worked out great, all sinister with the accent and the hotness...mmmm Apollo..... um. right. But they also had Michael Hogan and let him die in a car accident halfway through the ep without doing much of anything! How do you waste Saul Fucking Tigh??!!!
The Grand Arc When we stay in the Dollhouse we see one of the best ensembles on television. And we actually learn about these people: We learn about these people: Boyd the Fixer, Topher the MD, Priya the artist, the Doctors Saunders, Ms. Adele Lonelyhearts.... And here is also where Echo and her development as a sort of emancipating leader of the Dolls makes her the compelling question mark rather then the chick in the ridiculously tight clothes.*
Specifically, "Belonging" was even better because of how it tied to the unaired season one coda "Epitaph One." We see the beginning of Topher going mental and Adele's (now the functional alcoholic) beginning softness towards him, and Echo the Protector.
Oh, and as far as "Epitaph One" goes, my only real note is that I loved seeing Olivia Williams with a machine gun more than I can say.
So, while I do look forward to the eps returning in December, I kinda hope that Fox's shunning the series during November sweeps is a sign that they'll give the show a merciful death. I don't think Joss really has it in him, story-wise, to go further than this second season without annoying the shit out of me.
*Seriously, that dress she wore at the beginning of "Belonging" was retarded. Showing off a beautiful girl is fine, but she was basically naked. They give Dichen reasonable clothes. Why can't Eliza get a break? But it must also be said: Eliza needs to learn how to walk. A girl that pretty should glide, not lumber. Christ, I'm turning into to my grandmother.
Torchwood : Children of the Earth The story contained in these five episodes (comprising this truncated Season 3) was basically what would be a 2-3 episode arc in full season would be. But over five eps the story is given room to breathe, with plenty of moments both small and revelatory, and huge and suspenseful.
Small and revelatory
Jack has daughter and a grandson. He doesn't see them much, at her request, but helps them financially. And after the flaxen-haired grandson dies, upon Jack's orders, to save the aliens from taking the world's children... Well, let's just say Boxing Day's gonna be awkward this year. And these were the nicest bits for Barrowman, who didn't get to do his typical scenery chewing - with the quipping or screaming or anguishing - and acted like a real, mundane human for once. But we all know he's really there for the eye-candy, right? And on a Blu-ray disc those ocean-blue eyes are seriously mesmerizing.
Ianto has a sister who lives with her family in the Cardiff projects (council estates, are they?) whom he also doesn't visit often; while good at heart, they're loud, crass, and messy. But they have a lovely kitchen table convo where he reveals that he is indeed dating his very handsome, very male boss. It was a sweet construction: the siblings living lives on opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum who rarely connect, but when the shit comes down they will help and protect and believe in one another. And of course, this follows even after Ianto's death at the hands/tentacles/poison of the evil alien.
Oh yeah. IANTO DIED. Fuck. Again, I was happy with Barrowman here. There were lots of tears and a little yelling (WHY HIM??!!) but nothing really over-the-top. Of course, any cheesiness might've been undetectable through my tears as Ianto begged the (almost!) immortal Jack to not forget him. SHIT.
Gwen is pregnant. Rhys is the last to know, as usual. He's pissed but get's over it. And if there's one thing I have really loved about this show, it's how they've never made Rhys into the bad guy, or the oaf, or the idiot. He's a bit of a schlub (but still cute!) with a blue-collar job, but he's not stupid or a complete doormat. He supports Gwen and helps her out with some clever ideas of his own. They're both feisty and stubborn and completely mad about each other. (I also loved her video soliloquy in the last ep, about the mysterious Doctor who suddenly not around. Well done, Eve!)
And last, but certainly not least: The amazing Peter Capaldi, the gun, and the closed bedroom door. This was actually more stunning and heartbreaking than Ianto's death.
Huge and suspenseful
Torchwood HQ = BOOM!
Jack in a slab of concrete rescued by Ianto in a bulldozer! ...and a hardhat! ...and a three-piece suit! (Who will fill the vest quotient now, Russell T. Davies? WHO?!)
Big slimy alien you can't quite see who has rage and bodily fluid issues...and maybe the DTs?
And the kids are the crystal meth for the slimy aliens and Jack helped them - the aliens - out before? Both creepy and gross. Kudos!
Nitpicks While I thought this short season well-executed and highly enjoyable, there were some annoyances. Mainly, a few too many repetitive scenes and establishing shots that went on for a bit too long. It's like the Torchwood PTB were so used to cramming such a story into 2-3 eps that they found themselves a bit short on time so, hey, why not another shot of the traffic roundabout at Whitehall, or wherever, one more time! Also, let's have the kids scream again, longer! and louder! And let's have the parents keep yelling at their hypnotized kids again! Some more! If it were excised of this filmic fat, the season would be damn-near perfect.
Circle of Iron (1978) "There's nothing here to hide from." Nothing except your chin butt, Coop!
A couple weeks ago I had to catalog this forgotten gem of schlock, and when I saw it at the library I had to pick it up, if only because it starred the late, greatly sleazy David Carradine. (Though it was actually thought up by the late, great Bruce Lee who died before the project got off the ground.)
It's set in a mythical world where fighters dressed in proto-laser tag gear fight on The Life of Brian locations (only slightly used!) and have disturbingly straight, clean teeth. "Star" Jeff Cooper even looks like Eric Idle! I expected him to claim allegiance to the People's Front of Judea (please call him Loretta) and his mustachioed aggressor to be one of those tossers from the Judean People's Front. And there's Roddy McDowall. Proving yet again that he'd be inanything.
Carradine literally has a bell on his toe. The jingle is hella annoying. I mean, I don't like them on cat collars, much less humans. But he, the bell, and a bamboo flute take out five guys who have swords and maces, so I guess one shouldn't complain too much about it in his presence. Oh, and he's blind, too? He just cold-cocks bratty kids at will! He's also in a dual quadruple role! In one, he's a king of some sort, named Chang, but wears a fake tan and sounds kinda Mexican...
(The alternate title is "The Silent Flute." But dude, you can totally hear it... DID I JUST BLOW YOUR MIND?) Eli Wallach is in a giant pot in the desert. This ain't no Elia Kazan flick!
And there are monkey people?
Also: Boobs. Well, side-boob. And some ass, but this was the 70s so it was kinda obligatory. Poor girl gets crucified for her trouble, but sadly does not burst into song to make our weary traveler/paramour feel better.
Coop kicks a horse in the face? What is this, Blazing Saddles?
Why do quests for Zen enlightenment also involve so much sex and violence?
Zetan? Why, that's DRACULA! He's studying the perfect of perfection...or the perfection of perfect...er.... and there's some book.... fuck it, I'm totally distracted by the pointy baby blue Sumerian hats.... Apparently the endless peace and pleasure of total harmony is so great Dracula of Sumeria can't stand it anymore! He's all, take my peace, please! But Coop is like, whatevs dude, I'm gonna hang with Carradine and his noisy silent flute and kick some ass! Late, sucka!
Supernatural, Season 4 Bunny Colvin, Evil Angel of Darkness. Well, Kripke got some quality guest stars for this season including Robert Wisdom, Misha Collins, Kurt Fuller, and Richard from Felicity. Sadly, the casting for the females is rarely as good. I realize you can't have Amy Acker on every week but there must be some actresses in Hollywood and Vancouver that are both hot and able.
"You don't wanna go fightin' ghosts without any health insurance!" Sam, you may be a poor man's Riley Finn, but you you are no where near a Jim Halpert. (Padalecki was working his best David Copperfield with a dash of Freddie Mercury in that de-deomonizing stance.) But I do appreciate the writers' trying some deeper, more ambitious storylines (God! Lucifer! Angels at war!) and even doing a decent job with the ones they rip off.
You poor, freakish, unnatural, stumpy little bow-legged Lamb Of God. Sniff. Of course, my favorite part of the show remains the Dean and the Demian's recaps.
Merlin - Well, it's not as bad as the Flash Gordon reboot, but not that much better.
Near Dark - Lost Point Break Boys! by Katherine Bigelow! There's plenty of bloody wanton violence - including several scenes of vamps flambe, but it moves at a dirgelike pace with a lot of WTF scenes that take you out of what little plot there is to the movie. Like, say, the relationship between a young Adrian Pasdar and some random blonde we never hear from again which is the basis for the whole damn movie. Essentially, she was a cute stranger and he was bored on a Saturday night in a small town, and she bites him when he makes with the date-rapey groping. Twu wuv!
And why does Pasdar just stand there expecting his 8-9 year old sister to outrun a station wagon of vengeful vamps (one of whom is a young Bill Paxton)?
But you do get to see Lance Henriksen with a rat tail! So there's that! The Friends of Eddie Coyle - Subtlety writ large. Wait. No, really. And it's from the guy who directed Bullit. Public Enemies Funny. Michael Mann is known for action thrillers, but to me his best film is The Insider where the only action is Russell Crowe falling down on the front lawn.
Anyhoo - torture and interrogation techniques, surveillance techniques, who are the criminals? Lofty questions, all, and there was a fantastic cast in amazing costumes... but I felt so detached from it all. And the only question that's answered by the movie is: Is Johnny Depp unsurpassingly cool even with a pencil-thin mustache? (Answer: Yes.)
If you want good crime drama, go with Eddie Coyle.
Sally: No, no, no, I drove him away.AND, I'm gonna be forty. Harry: When? Sally: Someday. Harry: In eight years. Sally: But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end. And it's not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had kids when he was 73. Harry: Yeah, but he was too old to pick them up.
Quick off-topic pondering: Why is evil Prison Break mom so evil? Is it cuz it's hard to see through a dozen layers of of false eyelashes and mascara and eyeliner? And also not to get at least some of that mascara smudged on that spiffy white pantsuit she's wearing? Must be frustrating...
Dollhouse, Week 12 So. Huh. I guess it's appropriate the season finale would be indicative of how I feel about the show as a whole: The two leads are mediocre and poorly written; the plot's a mess; and good actors (and some beautiful sets!) are going to waste.
To the pains... Her is me. So, shiny sparkly Echo is the reason the psycho killer from Alpha's original self switched on, and he offed his handler, the original Dr. Saunders (an old dude!), and sliced up Whiskey's (Saunders 2.0) face. Why Whiskey? Because she was the #1 Doll and Alpha wanted shiny sparkly Echo to be number one. (Yes, all this chaos and death resulted from a dude wanting the new girl in school.) His obsession with Echo withstands the 40-something personalities he holds in that square head of his, and decides that she should be Omega to his Alpha and have bunches of fucked up personalities too! So they can "ascend" (when did this become fucking Stargate?) and be superstrong psycho freaks together, ruling the world or something, from a warehouse in an abandoned San Pedro industrial park. To do this, they kidnap the ....
...and for some reason Google hiccuped, the toads rained from the sky, and the rivers ran red, deleting my brilliantly bitter post about this sad clusterfuck of a show. So let's cut to the chase, as I am tired and this shit ain't getting renewed...
Acker and Kranz were fantastic and I would love to see these characters interact more. There's some lovely development here that we'll probably never get to see. Let's hope they get better shows next year.
For the first time, I liked Caroline, in the random kidnapping victim who happened to be Mike Seaver's baby sister. But she doesn't have a producer's credit like Eliza so...YA DEAD.
Ballard still sucks and he is already pushing Boyd to the background.
RE: Alpha's serial killer-ness: "I flagged it in the paperwork..." (He was an administrative SNAFU! This explains everything!)
They actually take the prospective actives pre-brainwipe on a tour of the facilities? I figured they would anesthetize them right after signing and make with the mindzapping before there were any second thoughts. Then again, these are the same folks who recruit serial killers for dangerous brainfuckery, give them weapons training, and then headquarter themselves in Tuscon. So, clearly this is SOP... ("It was only 'attempted murder'...")
"Bal-LARD and his crimesolving abilities"?! Biggest laugh of the season.
Dollhouse, Week 11 Here's why I can't get with Caroline or Ballard as my 'heroes': They seem more concerned about being right, rather than them doing right. Flaws are fine, but this just makes them assholes. And not amusing/sorta likable assholes, like House, just annoying, obnoxious, and taking screen time from characters that are actually compelling. It also doesn't help that the actors are fairly mediocre and around more for their hotness than their charisma or talent. That's why I couldn't enjoy this ep like wanted to; there's a good story developing here but it's being hampered by its leads. That's a problem.
Good Written by Jane Espenson - "Carrots. Medicinal carrots." "I'm gonna die in pajamas." "It's a small world, right? I went to elementary school with Jenna Elfman."
Victor as Dominic!!! The freakout of realizing he was Attic-ed and now temporarily in a Doll was a nice touch, and the actor did a fine EvilReedDiamond impersonation.
Tudyk!!!! - So fantastic. Hilarious, menacing, and definitely worth the wait. Eliza's had virtually no presence when they shared a scene. Next week should be interesting... (And I really wanted Alpha to break out while he was in the mindzappy room and shove Ballard into the Comfy Chair.)
Boyd. Fuck Yeah. I seriously hate Ballard for hurting Boyd. This will not stand.
Random "The Dollhouse is underground." - They're the Mole People!!??!!1
So the LA Dollhouse was built eight years ago?
Dollhouse HQ is in...Tuscon? For christ's sake, why? Then again, a locus of evil located in that god-forsaken place does make some sense. I have feeling Cindy McCain is involved somehow...
"Caroline, you don't have to do what they tell you." - Just do what I tell you. Be free, you brainwashed freak.
Grrrrr Echo saves the children - was this some pro bono work that's supposed to make us like the Dollhouse tech now? Why did it take up so much time and then go nowhere? Why was it so. fucking. boring?
Why is it just Caroline that matters to Ballard? He doesn't think there are other Dolls that might like to not be Dolls anymore (like maybe the one he's been fucking for the last month)? I don't buy the connection they're trying to build between them. There is no connection, writers, other than their annoyance.
Seriously, Fox: NASCAR popups? During Dollhouse? I'm guessing the demos don't overlap as much as you'd like to think...
Damnit! I turned the teevee too soon and thought WILLIAM FICHTNER was gonna be on Dollhouse. *sigh*
Dollhouse, Week 10
Alas, there was no Fichtner, but there was Gregg Henry, one of the kick-ass HITGs. Alas, he was woefully underused. Even as the red herring, he could've been given more to do. (Question: The boat fiasco = The noodle incident?)
Good Topher - Layers! It appears that even he succumbs to his loneliness once a year, and creates a geek dream girl to play laser tag with for his birthday. Gah, how sad. It wasn't even some nasty, pervy scenario; he just wanted someone to hang out with! Also, love his interactions with Boyd.
Jane Espenson! wrote some of tonight's episode - can you guess which parts? (I'm guessing the discussion with NerdSierra about androids. And the, 'more money for everyone, yay!')
"We can't play with the sleepies..."
Everlasting life? Another morally questionable twist of the Dollhouse tech. Should there be a second season, this facet could give it legs.
Tudyk = Alpha? It's a guess. In any case, I would give about ten Tahmohs for one Tudyk on a regular basis. Let's make this happen, Joss.
Eh. The Echo-focused plot. I like a drawing-room mystery as much as the next gal, but this was pretty rote and unsurprising. I mean, why wouldn't the killer be the evil popped-collar preppy with a gambling problem, when the bitter daughter and drunken uncle get so little screentime? (Also, I've only seen Jordan Bridges play a good guy once. and he still died.)
And yet another strange wardrobe choice takes me out of the story: the solid gold dress at the end? Seemed a bit much for a daytime reading of the will and stroll by the pasture. One can be both practical and hot in a decent pair of jeans and shitkickers.
November's breasts: MVP of the whole Mellie/Paul storyline? Paul's anger at the whole situation and the rough sex that followed is fine bit of darkness to add to that plot, but I'm still not feeling all that sorry for Ballard, and Mellie is such a simpering doormat I feel like smacking her around a bit myself. Perhaps I should give Joss, et al., kudos for creating a story wherein the mad scientists, rather than their victims, are the most interesting and sympathetic characters.
Um, where *was* Echo's handler? Seemed like he would've been handy when the Topsider Killer made with the syringe....
Adele uses Victor! Holy shit! There was cake! (so the 'meeting' was just a much-needed day off...) And, fittingly, it's kinda violent and twisted and desperate. Adele is just a fascinating character and Olivia Williams is incredible. It was an excellent use of the entire cast while maintaining Echo as a focal point, action-y, emotional, suspenseful... Which makes next week's ep seem all the more disappointing - an Echo mystery of the week? Really?
Random observations I told Joss there should be swords...
Victor's got a hot lady handler! We need to see more lady handlers... And I don't mean that in a dirty way!
"...or an assassin that does cheers..."
"You think I'm a spy?" "Not in a bad way...."
Art class? Are there be fingerpaints and paper mache? Wait, they let them have scissors? and not the blunt-point kindergarten kind? That's not gonna end well.
Ballard - how many guns are shoving in your pants there, buster?
For a minute I thought that file room was the Intersect.
"...no need to hide your flaws" - so really, the Dolls just give you the out if you have a tendency to fart in bed...
Oh Evil Reed Diamond, I hope we'll see you again...preferably bound and splayed in the back of my van...
Dollhouse, Week 8 Freedom has to be earned. God, their teasers suck. Poor Eliza got her boobs shoved up to her neck and we get a redundant fantasy sequence that shows us nothing but Tahmoh's absurdly smooth and ripped torso. And still, despite said torso, Ballard's stuff leaves me cold.... "Show - don't tell" - OREALLY?! Too meta show, too meta...and not in your favor.
Staff meeting! One of the main reasons the last few eps have worked better than their predecessors is that they've stayed in the office. The House is the most fascinating aspect of the show, and that's where the cream of the cast is. Dr. NotFred rocks. Not sure why she isn't a regular, as I have avoided (most) spoilers. And I'd definitely like to find more backstory on her than Caroline or Ballard.... Also, I want Olivia and the First Lady to arm wrestle with those serious biceps they got. We also finally saw some female handlers! Finally! Where have they been and will we see them again?
Aliens! I thought for sure the blonde dude was your redshirt for the evening. Somewhere that actor has sung 'Springtime for Hitler'* in community theater.
The faux Doll revival/revolt was exciting and answered some questions, including the incredibly depressing fact that Sierra apparently entered the Dollhouse because she was raped...and got raped again (many times over?) by Handler McPerv. Mellie/November, though, was not consistent: she was frightened, then badass, then frightened again, so I wasn't sure what to make of her. Of course, by the time she hit the cemetery I was just wishing the poor girl could catch a break. But: awww Victor/Sierra smoochies...
Um, I don't like Caroline. She's righteous to the point of foolishness - the type of foolishness that gets people killed (bye cutie boyfriend!). And sweetie, we're part Cylon, we're totally programmable.
House House : Mos Def on the virtual beach :: Death : Max Van Sydow playing chess on the shore
I haven't seen the Kutler suicide ep yet, but I'm happy for Kal Penn's new White House job. He seems like an earnest down-to-earth guy who sincerely believes in the administration's work.
Also, see him in The Namesake, a touching, lyrical film based on the novel by JhumpaLahiri.
ER It was a lovely, low-key series finale, despite Stamos' scenery-chewing. Alexis Bledel impressed me with very believable non-Rory portrayal of a young intern: inexperienced but smart, overwhelmed and awkward, but caring.
Young Rachel Greene is tall just like her Pops and seems to have gotten over her troubled teen ways... but why did they give her that awful up-do at the beginning of the ep? It was like she was in a BBC costume drama from the neck up.
Oh, Dr. Carter you haven't looked the happy - or that hot! - in ages. You're a County rat and you know it...
Castle Nate Fillion has a new murder mystery show: it's pure fluff and lamely predictable and absurdly unrealistic. But then there are random moments where he's playing laser tag with his precocious but responsible teen daughter, or Susan Sullivan just appears in all her fabulousness, or he's wearing onion goggleswhile making dinner, or name-checking Commander Riker and Sleestacks ... and it becomes damn charming ... and evident of some serious geekitude on the writing staff.
Also, the wardrobe folks on this show dressFillionvery well.
(But what in the hell were they thinking when they put the lovely StanaKatic in that ruffly hot pink atrocity and the wing-y hair last week? She looked like a refugee from Shindig...)
The future is always better than the past. Even Voltaire knew that, and he invented this trite shtick. If you can't believe that -- if you fear the future you're creating, for yourself -- you're done. Because there's no point: end it today, or stop bitching and apply yourself to making it better, because essentially the implication is that nobody knows how to save the world, but you, and nobody but yours will ever figure it out. That is dead. That is death.
It was a contradictory ending, no? Both within and outside of the story. AngelGaius bemoans the modern world of Times Square, while AngelSix counters: yeah, but maybe they won't fuck it up this time? And then the montage of RobotFutureDoom....
So. Civilization's (of the metal or fleshy sort) rush for the new new tech outpaces our emotional and big-picture understanding of that tech bringing Armageddon, and all-around badness. Certainly we've made our mistakes, Mr. Moore, but that tech also brings the pretty, pretty explosions on your teevee show and games on your iPhone. Would you like to give that up, along with your cigarettes and scotch, just to till the soil and be one with the earth and God? I thought not. We all have those moments where we're at the end of our respective ropes and want a do-over. But that Never. Happens. The show has been about a fleet that, despite incredible hardships and guilt and trauma, puts its head down and barrels through as they learn and fight for survival. Far from perfect, but noble to the end. But now they should be passive fatalists, munching on dandelions and awaiting movement from the hand of God? For a show that had prided itself on being brutally honest about human nature and suffering, that whatever, here's a pat-on-the-back ending does feel disingenuous.
Fuck, G, I woulda killed the bitch too, if I found out she shot the wife I didn't really love all that much out the airlock. Go on with your Highlander-self and be at peace! Wait, *I* killed my wife... oh well, bygones!
(We never found out what Tory's deal was and that did piss me off. Huge loose thread there, writers.)
Finding Earth is fine, but why not go outside our known history? Why ditch all the ships and redo the hunter/gatherer business? Why not integrate, learn, and grow and show an alternate-Earth story?
On a lighter note: did anyone else see the tribal Earthlings and wonder if one of them was the First Slayer? Crossover!
It's made of brown. This was...kinda exciting! Still don't care about Caroline or Ballard as characters, but the tension of containing the contagion (wordplay!) was quite effective. And a new Doll! So many questions answered! (Boyd should always be business casual.) So many raised! (EvilReedDiamond not so evil?) The most pressing being: what happened to Topher's pants?
High five!
Next week's the Doll's Awaken-rebellion-thing looks fantastic...but where can they go after that?
In other TeeVee...
BSG finale I'm not sure I can create a coherent and cohesive response to this ending. I was not disappointed, but I was rather surprised that there was a happy ending. (Almost) Everyone lived and were able to start anew. Though I was hoping that Starbuck, Apollo, and the Fighting Agathons (Helo survived?!) found Lake Wobegon - where all the women are strong (Kara, Athena), the men are good looking (Lee, Karl) and the children are above average (wee troublemaker Hera)....
Random thoughts... Saul Fucking Tigh. Drunk. At a strip club. With his wives. (And of course, they declare their eternal love for each other at said strip club while downing shots and watching lapdances. Their trashiness is so endearing.)
Doc Cottle humbled into speechlessness.
"The night's young and so are you." DRINK!
Well, I suppose vomiting in the gutter is better than breaking down in the bathroom again, Bill.
"...then I want you to start throwing rocks."
Wanton Centurion-on-Centurion violence!
ADMIRAL HOSHI. PRESIDENT ROMO. This is a nation I can believe in.
Baltar so pathetic with his Rubbermaid File Tote of Destiny...
So, what they're saying is, it's all Callie's fault... And Tori's.... I can get behind that.
Galen's the first Viking/Scotsman/Icelander? So the kilts were his idea? Noted! (But I want pictures.)
So Asimo and the pervy AsianSexBot are the harbingers of the endtimes? Thanks for head's up, Ron.
30 Rock Muppets. Dennis. Hornberger. Now that they've ditched the guest stars (who weren't all bad) the show has finally gotten back to the interplay of the writers room and Jenna and Tracy and the complete madness that makes it great. Plz keep it this way, thnx
OMIGOD HE'S MORTAL.
The Office Oh no. I love it when Pam walks on hot coals.
There's no porn!Oh it would've been much more interesting if there were. That said, the pretty people are doing nothing for me.
Ballard: He's an asshole and I don't care. The only good part of him kissing Mellie was that he finally shut the fuck up. Also: he is the worst FBI agent ever - Sidney Bristow would mock him. And kick his ass. She's twice Eliza's size...
And Echo is, well, a non-entity. The good thing about her this ep is that she took a back seat to the overall plot. Joss (read: Patton and/or Mellie, depending on the scene) was heavily pushing Ballard's obsession with Echo/Caroline...and I just wasn't buying it. Obsessed with the organization? Yes - hell, if Ballard asks anybody 'where's the Dollhouse' one more time I'm gonna reach through the screen and punch him in the nuts - but Caroline is just the key that gets him there. But now it's about Caroline? If this is supposed to be about Ballard chasing just Caroline, Joss might as well go full Mamet* and have him keep repeating 'where's the girl' until he reaches Olivia's door.
Patton is a tiny, tiny man. I've actually seen him live, in person, and up close. But I was drunk at a bar and sitting down, so clearly I didn't realize he was a PocketPatton. Eliza is taller than he is. Still, his performance was a highlight. You really don't get that sort of material on King of Queens...
Can Patton, NotFred, Olivia, and Boyd stay and the rest leave? Okay, Topher still amuses me in his snide, creepy way... Does his assistant have a name yet?
Moral spankitude!While the issues of identity and prostitution and free will and human nature are all fun to ponder, pedantic/didactic Joss makes my eyes roll. And the idiot-on-the-street interviews were both poorly written and poorly acted.** Make me think, but don't lecture me. And, for the love of Giles, don't lecture me badly.
The Sierra/Victor/Handler McRapey story at least had some ActionBoyd to make it entertaining...
Ma'am, do you have an exit strategy?Well, do you, Joss? There were no surprises here: Mellie's a doll?! Oh, it wasn't telegraphed from the get-go and they didn't have her callsign on IMDB for the last month or anything... And I still had to watch her get assaulted and strangled. I'm so tired of predatory white dudes assaulting young women. I know the point Joss is trying to make, but that doesn't make it easier to watch.
This was the first time I actually flipped to FNL rather than wait to watch online the next day. Coach calling a ref a 'sonofabitch' and getting thrown out of the game was ten times more awesome than Ballard's post-coital banter. So much for the game-changer super awesome episode....
*I saw Redbelt the other day, and while Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Operative!) and Emily Mortimer were marvelous (as usual), it was quite plain that Mamet has become a parody of himself. One can only stand so many stilted conversations regarding manliness and honor before you just need someone kick somebody's, anybody's ass. **It's true! Joss can produce sucky scripts!
Not that Eliza did a bad job (on the contrary, she was way impressive here), but the Topher/NotFred/Erection story was much more fun - Topher and NotFred have great comedic chemistry.
I'm kinda ready for Tahmoh to go, as he's become the Morena Baccarin of this show: pretty, wooden acting, boring cliched character introduced too early in the overall arc. I might actually be intrigued with Ballard if he were introduced this ep, just driving up at the end to ask the ATF agent questions. Wha?! The FBI is looking for Echo? How could this be?... and then we find out next week or later about the mysterious envelopes he's been receiving and that he's been meeting with the GangsterDoll and that he kickboxes...
Evil Reed Diamond. I did not expect him to do the (non)extraction himself. Evil, indeed, but kinda stupid. Why didn't pack a silencer and make sure she was dead? You travel all that way and don't seal the deal? I mean, the ATF already had video of the cult leader threatening her with a gun, so EvilReed wouldn't be implicated if she was found with a bullet in her brain.
Also: the blind savior wore heels to her baptism into an Amishy-attired cult? Oh show - you never fail to do the inexplicable to take me out of an emotional moment...
'Take the stairs.' Bish plz, you're so almost fired...maybe. (I think EvilReed has connections to the senior partners. It's the only explanation for why Adele hasn't gotten rid of him. If she had a spaceship and an airlock, he'd so be out of the picture by now...)
PATTON OSWALT!!!!!!!11 (Please tell me he's a Doll that kicks Ballard's ass...)
Why in the world would anyone have to hire a Doll to act as a midwife? Does the Glorious Collective of International Birthing Assistants prohibit traveling to mountain chalets? And unless the child is an alien and/or a Cylon, there's no reason that the midwife shouldn't be able remember the job. WTF, Joss - it's maddening shit like this that kinda ruins an otherwise strong episode.
I'm choosing to ignore those couple go-nowhere scenes with Ballard and RussianGangsterDoll. I...really have no idea where that's going. Why doesn't DeWitt just have Doll kill him? The Feds will just go after the Russians.)
The high points were, again, any and every scene with Boyd (the character and the actor provide the glue holding this sinking ship together) and Olivia Williams' wardrobe (and her hair was gorgeous).
Gah. Who am I kidding. Really, I'm just huddled on the floor in the fetal position, waiting for my Dr. Horrible DVD to arrive....
The iPod took me on trip down middle school nostalgia lane with the soundtrack to my fave Christian Slater film.
This album pretty much introduced me to modern/college rock, as I the only artists I'd heard of here were Ivan Neville (Dad=Aaron) and Concrete Blonde (MTV played "Joey" all the friggin' time).
Well, kids, it's time to pour out a 40 of Molson or Labatt's or whathaveyouto the end of Barenaked Ladies as we knew it: Steven Page, after arrest on drug charges, getting divorced, and acquiring a 20-something girlfriend (not necessarily in the that order) has left the band he founded 20 years ago.
Was it the drugs? Was it the pixie-coiffedYoko? Was it because Steve's always been an independent little cuss? Apparently, he's already got projects out the ying yang...
Ed and the rest of band will still be going on as BNL. And while Jim, Tyler, and Kevin are all capable singers and partners to Ed on stage, nothing beats the StEd harmonies and chemistry.
"Call and Answer," "What a Good Boy," "Break My Heart," "War on Drugs"? All gone from the set lists. No one can belt like Steve. On the other hand, almost all their recent singles have Ed on lead, so clearly someone doesn't see him as marketable, or something.
Oh yeah, I'm uncool like that - I dig BNL. True their last sorta double album thing wasn't quite up to snuff, but it still had some gems. And in the seven (7 - true)* times I've seen them it's always been a good show. And it's sad to see this band of sardonic, personable, regular-looking guys become Behind the Music fodder. **
And let me say, that my disappointment (rather than despondency - they're just a pop band, folks) shouldn't imply that I dislike Ed's voice or songs. On the contrary, "Light Up My Room" and "If I Fall" are incredibly beautiful and in my BNL top five for all time.
Good news? It looks like there's gonna be a 20th anniversary box set and the release of Jason Priestly's doc Barenaked in America on DVD, finally.***
Ah, well. They'll always have Scarborough...
(Okay, Warner pulled the original video that showed the bleak fall of suburban Toronto set to a Bruce Cockburn soundtrack ... at least Steve has a beard!)
*I actually pulled out the ye ol' ticket jar and counted just to make sure.**** **Actually, they've already got a Behind the Musicep but the most dramatic aspect was Kev's cancer. No drugs, no girls, no break-ups. ***(Yes, I do own an official VHS copy.) ****Yes, I keep my concert tickets, my theater tickets, and a few special movie tickets. The oldest? Lollapalooza, July 6, 1996, Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, Ind., featuring the headlining duo of Metallica AND Soundgarden (just a few months before they broke up and Chris Cornell ceased to sing anything interesting). It was awesome.
Number of Songs: 1891 Number of Albums: 576 Most Recently Played Song: "What are you going to do with me" by Paper Moon Most Played Song: "Night" by Jeff Hanson Most Recently Added Album: "Dark Was the Night" Red Hot compilation
First Song Alphabetically: "About a Song" by Nancy Sinatra Last Song Alphabetically: "Zombie Stomp" by Ozzy Osborne First Song Numerically: "100 yard dash" by Raphael Saadiq Last Song Numerically: "9 to 5" by Alison Krauss Shortest Song: "Here come the 123s" by They Might Be Giants Longest Song: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly
First Album Alphabetically:Abbey Road, the Beatles Last Album Alphabetically: Zen Arcade, Hüsker Dü First Album Numerically: 3 Rounds and a Sound, Blind Pilot Last Album Numerically:808s and Heartbreak, Kanye West
First Five Songs That Pop Up On Shuffle: "All Love Gone" Charlie Pickett "Some Small History" Portastatic "Super Trouper" ABBA "Morning tide" The Little Ones "She's Got My Number" Semisonic
And this wasn't the pilot episode because? ...ah. It was supposed to be episode 8. Which explains why we already know Echo's real name, saw how Alpha went homicidal, and how Boyd bonded Echo. This is stuff you usually hold onto until sweeps week or end of the season. Poor Joss has been forced by the FuxHeads to blow the whole kit & kaboodle early in the game. At this point, I'm not sure if Joss has enough story to get through 13 episodes, much less the five years he says he has supposedly planned out.
This week revealed something more than just how Boyd became protective of Echo: Joss and his Mutant Enemy stable of writers (including this eps' scribe Steven Deknight, of Angel and Buffy, and Tim Minear, of Angel, Firefly, and Wonderfalls) can't write cops for crap. The scenes with Ballard sparring with Agent Mark RomoBadger Sheppard were so...awful, like that's how the writers thought cops/feds talk to each other because that's how dull and unimaginative they are on other cop shows? On CBS?
What I wouldn't give for Bunk and McNutty to come in show 'em how cops can be funny, flawed, serious, and good at their jobs all at the same time.
The poor writing for cops is indicative of one of Joss' major flaws: he has a tendency have all these great ideas, but seems to do little to no research to back them up and/or flesh them out. Two bloggers have taken on Firefly in the last week, discussing Whedon's notions of sex work and Orientalism (minus the actual Asians). The articles and the comments (particularly for the Racialicious piece) smart and insightful, articulating some problems I had with the show in a way I never could. And now, it seems I'll only be popping in my Firefly DVDs for the Fillion/Baldwin/Tudyk funny and eye-candy....
The pilot of Dollhouse did not blow me away. BUT as a stand alone episode, it had enough character and suspense to bring me into next week.
Of notice...
Cast Did you know that Eliza Dushku was kinda hot? I wonder if there is any possible way to show as much of her body as network TV will allow from as many angles as possible to get that across.... Oh she acts too? Yeah, she was pretty good with that. But the 'hot' thing. Someone should try to capitalize on that.
(Also, she is ridiculously tiny. That little girl she was carrying out of the pedo-kidnappers' hideout was as big as she was! Kind blew the seriousness of the scene watching this incredibly petite woman trying to struggle to carry a 10 year old who is already five feet tall.)
Thank you, Joss, for a little parity with the nice long scenes of sweaty, shirtless Tahmoh. Let's keep that up, 'kay? Thx.
Harry Lennix, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz, Amy Acker, and Olivia Williams* are all those HITGs you wish were in more, and/or wish would be given more in the parts they're in.
Interestingly, these are the adults in this piece (er - maybe not techie Fran/Topher). The 'dolls' - both male and female, apparently - appear to all be relatively young and attractive, and are made child-like by the mind wipes so the actors still seem ... too young? Like they're all at a super high-tech boarding school or something? Or they're sexy 20-somethings that share one of those unrealistically posh beach-front houses you see on the teevee. Speaking of....
The Set reminds me of the House of Blue Leaves from Kill Bill:
Intentional? Think there will be swords? Joss, you should totally have swords.
The Promos Those Summer/Eliza Terminator/Dollhouse bumpers were excruciating. The tank tops, the leather, the overly glossed lips and come-hither dialog.... Jesus. Using sex as a selling point is fine, but let's try to be a bit more subtle about it. Is imagination that dead in Hollywood?
Oh my. That was a silly question...
The Plot I'll wait till the season's over to make a proper assessment of the series. A pilot is such a strange animal storytelling-wise: so much info to present in so little time. Right now it just seems like a decent weekly psychothriller, but I think it can and will be more.
Next in the series of movie reviews of films past well past their sell date: The X-Files : I Want to Believe (extended vers., to be specific)….
On the positive
This was, at heart, good thriller that wove together some tried-and-true genre story lines (mad doctors, organ theft, creepy monster trucks, women as victims...) and created something genuinely creepy. Also: two-headed dogs.
The show theme popping up as Scully and Mulder viewed portraits of G.W. Bush and J. E. Hoover had me laughing for a good five minutes.
Scully, Scully, Scully – Sue me, but this whole franchise would be nothing without Gillian Anderson and Dana Scully. From her astounding beauty to her totally enthralling performance, she holds this whole cabal together. The same can’t be said for Duchovny/Mulder; he is the impetus, but she is the motor that moves the stories along. She is the soul. She is also the baddest of bad-asses. I love love LOVE that she is the one who saves Mulder and the victim, with a block of wood and a scalpel, respectively. Do not fuck with Dana Scully. Woman is STEELY. See her BISH PLEEZE glare at the young Fed who puts the flirt on Fox:
‘Shipper fodder – No cock-blocking bees in this one! They’re living together and smooching just like normal people! And they even kill the absurdly-named youngin* who ever-so-slightly puts the moves on Mulder! They even give the slash-fic writers a bone showing Skinner warming up Mulder in his arms! Ah, sweet, sweet bureaucratic tenderness…. On a more serious note, I think what we see here is that Mulder and Scully are, in fact, quite alike, albeit with different obsessions. Both are tenacious, intelligent, passionate, and so full of integrity you think their hearts will explode from their righteousness. And these similarities are what pull them apart so often, and then inevitably together. Duchovny and Anderson still have wonderful chemistry, and bring out the realities of a long, loving, but frustrating relationship.
Billy Connolly is always a treat.
Nicki Aycox looks much better without the bleach-blonde crop. And gives a much better performance without the trite villain dialogue.
Callum Keith Rennie is the Canadian Dean Winters. Ruggedly handsome and versatile. Can fall into any sort of role, big or small, good or evil. His only misstep was that awful, awful Chicago accent he put on in Due South. Leoben totally makes up for it.
On the nitpicky
Where did Sculder live? Virginia? And if so, why would it be so hard for the FBI to find Fox if he’s living so close to DC?
And why did they give place/timestamps for the casework but not the personal?
When did Scully become a surgeon? Autopsy is one thing, surgery very much another.
And Frankenstein’s Altar Boy – they were giving him a woman’s body? He couldn’t have gotten a regular sex change operation? What the hell else was wrong with him?
And does Google really need product placement at this point?
Overall, quite enjoyable and I would not frown upon a third movie...
* Dakota Whitley, WTF? And her fall was quite Hitchcockian.
Thought I'd wait until 2008 was actually over before doing a 'faves of 2008' list. And some of these aren't new...
What I listened to most Flight of the Conchords / Flight of the Conchords - "Thnk about it," "Leggy blond" Heretic Pride / Mountain Goats - "San Bernardino" The Rhumb Line / Ra Ra Riot -- This is how Voxtrot should have moved from EPs to LP: tweak production but don't overload with instrumentation and increasingly arcane lyrics.The songs remain simple melodically with a gorgeous orchestral pop wall of sound behind it. SEE: every track. Dear Science / TV on the Radio - "Family tree," "Shout me out" Live and let ghosts / Jukebox the Ghost - Like Ben Folds & Mountain Goats & TMBG in a delicious enchilada of pop. "Hold it in" I'll Be Lightning / Liam Finn - Saw him live in Newark, and this guy? Insanely talented. No need to worry about the shadow of Daddy. "Better To Be," "I'll Be Lightning" Re-Arrange Us / Mates of State - I've never not liked their work, but now that it's more grown up, richer, and more dynamic, I absolutely love it. And there's some bass this time! "The Re-Arranger," "You Are Free" Swimming / French Kicks Once soundtrack - "If you want me," "Say It to Me Now" In Rainbows / Radiohead - "House of cards" Tennessee Pusher / Old Crow Medicine Show - "Methamphetamine," "Caroline" Distortion / Magnetic Fields - "Please Stop Dancing," "Too Drunk to Dream" Repeat When Necessary / Dave Edmunds - "Girls Talk," "Queen of hearts" Jesus of cool [2008 deluxe reissue] / Nick Lowe - "So It Goes,""Shake and Pop"R Seconds of pleasure / Rockpile - "You Ain't Nothin' But Fine" Mamma Mia! soundtrack - "Voulez vous," "I Have a Dream" Narrow Stairs / Death Cab For Cutie - "No Sunlight" Into The Wild / Eddie Vedder -Indio cover "Hard Sun" Firecracker People / Hotel Lights - "Amelia Bright" American Prehistoric / Warm in the Wake - "American prehistoric" Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - "More News from Nowhere" Live in London & Paris / Otis Redding - Fuck it, take your pick... Terry Tales & Fallen Gates / The Little Ones Acid Tongue / Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"; Rabbit Fur Coat is still a more solid record, but there are a couple of real gems here including the title track. And her voice is just so damn beautiful. The Stand Ins / Okkervil River - "Lost Coastlines" Company (2006 revival) - Oh Raul Esparza, you can do no wrong.... Make me armoured / The Scourge of the Sea - "Goodbye, Darkness" 3 Rounds and a Sound / Blind Pilot - "Go on, say it," "3 rounds and a sound"; This and Bon Iver almost brought me to tears when I listened to them back to back, and I wasn't even PMSing. So much beauty. Note to self: don't listen to at work again. For Emma, Forever Ago / Bon Iver - Ubiquitous? Yes. Worthy? Absolutely. Volume One / She & Him - "Change Is Hard" Living in darkness / Agent Orange Lily Allen - She had me at "Up the Junction" and now I'm in pop-love. The album won't be out until later 2009, but half the tracks are already out. "The Fear": A Colbert Christmas - "There are much worse things to believe in" The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 - Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006 / Bob Dylan - "Mississippi" Robyn [re-release] /Robyn - "Be Mine" O / Tilly and the Wall -"Alligator Skin," "Falling Without Knowing" Promised Land / Dar Williams - "Troubled Times"
...and the rest Stay positive / The Hold Steady - Doesn't speak too well when the best songs on the album are the three bonus tracks tacked on the end: "Ask Her for Adderall,"Cheyenne Sunrise," "Two Handed Handshake" Way to normal / Ben Folds - "You Don't Know Me," "Kylie From Connecticut"; Surprisingly, meh. He's lost his storytelling prowess, it seems, and the rest sounds like he's trying too hard be cute. The Hollow of Morning / Gemma Hayes - "In Over My Head"; Also, surprisingly, meh, as she moves more and more into whispery vocals and atmospheric noodling. Not bad, necessarily, but kinda boring. Make the Road by Walking / Menahan Street Band / - Wait. There is still new instrumental funk/R&B being made? By hipsters? In Bushwick? Whatever, dude. Whatever... (Seriously, they do the 'Rocky' theme and everything...) Vampire Weekend / Vampire Weekend - "Mansard roof"; It's fun. It's cute. It ain't life changing, just enjoyable Moonwink / Spinto Band Fleet Foxes / Fleet Foxes - Gosh, it's pretty. But the way the songs end abruptly makes it sound like a collection of incomplete thoughts. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust / Sigur Rós - First one with pop-sounding songs which I like. sue me. Saturdays=Youth / M83 Consolers of The Lonely / The Raconteurs - "Many shades of black" ; But when is Brendan Benson gonna release a new solo record? Modern Guilt / Beck Kala / M.I.A. - "Bird Flu" Tea Partying with Ghosts / Cloud Cult Sea Lion / Ruby Suns Last Light & the FREEP / Matt Pond PA These United States Throw Me the Statue You Me and Iowa Fumbling Toward Ecstasy reissue / Sarah McLachlan - "Hold on" ; And her duet with Pink (?!) on the terribly overplayed "Angel" was quite beautiful and Sarah looked gorgeous as a new divorcee (looking good is the best revenge, no?) At Mount Zoomer / Wolf Parade The Seldom Seen Kid / Elbow This is Not the World / Futureheads Evil Urges / My Morning Jacket - that title song is killer the rest is kinda meh The Diggs Second Gleam / Avett Brothers Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams / Solange Knowles - "I Told You So"; Sorry, Beyonce, but you're sister kicked your ass with some quality, old school (trite phrase, I know) R&B As I Am / Alicia Keys - "Superwoman" Vivian Girls / Vivian Girls At the National Grid / The Bats A Hundred Million Suns / Snow Patrol Alphabeat - The Danish Michael Cera and the Danish Lulu bring the pop video back - dancing! color! snappy choruses! - Debbie Gibson and Wham! together at last! "Fascination": Ida Maria - "Oh My God"
Haven't heard yet... Bridemaid's 12" series / Decemberists Snowflake Midnight / Mercury Rev All I Intended To Be / Emmylou Harris 22 Dreams / Paul Weller Harps and Angels / Randy Newman Missiles / the Dears Furr / Blitzen Trapper Carried to dust / Calexico
