It is not the most stellar season. Frankly, I feel there is something missing. After thinking about it, I found it was the lack of a fast talking, witty, pop culture reference show à la "Buffy", "Gilmore Girls" or "Veronica Mars". Without this kind of writing, TV feels empty. Sure a show like that never reflects real life or true situations but hey, what television show does? Still, in a dimly lit room somewhere, Joss is writing the 'next' show that makes me all giddy and fanatical. Anyway, a girl can dream. But even with the dismal season, there are a few good eggs in the basket. Let's take a look
"Chuck" - A less charming rip off of "Jake 2.0" with Betty's beau Christopher Gorham, "Chuck" plays the shy geek card against an energetic Alec Baldwin and typical blond spy, Yvonne Strzechowski. Even the geekiness is less than par with encoded images having been downloaded into Chuck's brain. At least Jake had some powers, this guy just decrypts images leaving the audience to witness flashes on the screen and a 'doh' moment when Chuck tells pretty blond what it means. So far the plots are weak and the chemistry superficial. There is potential. I like the brother and sister relationship and the fact that Chuck and his friends are part of the 'Nerd Herd' computer fixit guys who work at a place called 'Buy More' which is next to a 'Weinerlicious'. That's two shows that have made generic names for typical American commercialism and have to say, fun stuff. But the action should pick up or the writing should improve quicke because both are just average and can not sustain this show as quality television. Next to Adam (please oh please throw a toaster at someone every episode!), Zachary Levi has got it down as Chuck. He is such a lovable geek.
"Reaper"- Which leads us to the other geek show. Even though it is on The CW, "Reaper" provides more entertainment and plot than "Chuck" has so far. The premise is this: When Sam was born his parents sold his soul to the devil and now he must work as a bounty hunter and send escaped souls from hell back where they belong. It seemed doomed from my point of view but both the devil and Sam have proved me wrong. The devil is played by Ray Wise and does he ever fit the part. His every scene is fantastic and his motives are still very unclear and the mystery adds points in my book. Sam works for 'The Work Bench', TV's version of Home Depot or Lowe's and though he has no focus, plays the ever wavering bachelor very well. There are a few problems, specifically an average boy - girl scenario. 'He likes her but will not tell her his secret' just drives me crazy. It was a nice twist that she did not go back to school and an unexpected move is always a plus. I like his friends too, though I wish we had more of Ben and less of "Sock".
"Pushing Daisies" - If one show was to scream novel, this is it and is my pick of the season. A fanastical and visual journey into the world of reanimation which has the look and feel of a Burton film. And please, the chemistry between our 'touched' hero, Ned and undead Chuck (who names their kid Charlotte Charles?) is boiling over. I can imagine that the ever changing ways of them touching without actually touching is going to be the thing with this show. The audience is swept into the lives of its characters intertwined by little details given in the form of a narrator, the ever fantastic voice of the Harry Potter audio novels, Jim Dale. In fact, the narration and the scene formation culminating in the character looking directly at the camera reminds me a lot of Amélie. With a fantastic cast (again I beg for Kristin Chenoweth to sing in every episode) and an even more enchanting plot, "Pushing Daisies" is here to stay.
"Life" - That being said, my next favorite new show is "Life" and it all has to do with Damian Lewis. Lewis plays Crews, an LAPD policeman who was accused of murdering his business partner, wife, and son when DNA evidence, 12 years later, acquitted him. He was released, promoted to detective, and awarded some billions of dollars for compensation. So the plot, while fairly droll, has some potential in that the crime is still unsolved and the audience gets pieces every episode. His partner also catches my interest and she has done well trying to understand and deal with this confounding man who has a house but no furniture (I love the zen) and keeps company with a known embezzler (a brilliant Adam Arkin). Lewis, my newfound love, steals the show. With a piercing stare and a love for life, the character Crews and the actor Lewis go hand in hand. It must be the mystery or the scars beneath the surface. Whatever it is, it draws me. If you have not seen "Band of Brothers", netflix the sucker and enjoy the ride. He has only improved with age and "Life" is the little known secret of this year's premieres.
Now that the first ten episodes have aired on Nickelodeon, the third and last season of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is in full swing. I have not been ecstatic about the Fire Book but there have been exceptional episodes and still makes me laugh out loud. But Aang and gang are alone in the fire nation and their powers and friendship are growing. Now Aang, the Avatar, has returned and I sincerely hope that he learns some firebending soon because both Azula and Firelord Ozai are very powerful and manipulative. I will not spoil anything for those reading but I was happy with the other fire nation characters in The Day of the Black Sun. I am eager to see it all play out.
Well, it is not the Indiana that we knew but the image of an aging Harrison Ford illuminated from the back, whip, leather jacket, hat and surrounded by cobwebs gives me hope. More at canmag.com
I did not start out liking Naruto. The anime focused on the young ninja who was whiny and annoying. Plus, his main strength is his determination and not his ninja ability and to me, this is boring. I like my heroes special, strong, moody. Which brings me to Sasuke who was just that. Meanwhile, Naruto grew stronger and Sasuke grew jealous. So Sasuke goes off to seek power and revenge. Naruto goes after Sasuke to bring him home. The bitterness between them, despite their previous camaraderie, was felt in their last meeting when they both fought to kill. Now, it seems, Naruto, is a top notch anime which has improved both in character and animation. I can not wait to see how things work out.
I had not watched a netflix movie in weeks due to my trip to Italy and my mail being stopped. Finally receiving them this week, I was able to enjoy, again, what I love so much. Watching the kind of movies I like in the comfort of my home. This weekend, one disc in particular gave me perfect enjoyment and that was The Best of Victor Borge. Victor Borge (1909-2000) was a talented pianist and comedian. He combined his love of music with the most fantastic gags. But after all the hilarious stunts, the sheet music gag, the opera singer, the duet, and the inflationary language, the man sat down and did what he is best at: playing the piano. The man was pure genius on the keyboard. If you have never watched him, put it on your netflix list now. You will not be disappointed.
In its greatest episode yet, "Blink" had very little of the doctor in Doctor Who. Mostly it was about Sally Sparrow (great names in this show) and how the lonely assasins, the weeping angels, stole the doctor's time travel box and how Sally had to get it back to him, losing several friends in the process. The story was nothing truly novel but I find it is the characters, themselves, in this series that capture my attention. Most of them are never one dimensional and their humor is usually spot on. The doctor always finds himself in the greatest of situations and the fact that he time travels is aways appealing. I have not seen the previous versions of Doctor Who but, in my opinion, David Tennant is the best. Catch up on this show by watching the first season online at Netflix.
If you have never seen a drum and bugle corps competition, you are missing out. If you have never seen the Drum Corps International World Championships, then tune to ESPN2 on September 25 and 26 for the rebroadcast. Forget that these kids, ages 13-22, march and play at the same time. Forget that they train and practice hours, days, weeks at a time in mid summer, sleeping on gym floors and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Forget the anxiety of competition, the lasting friendships, and the pleasure of performing in front of thousands, six judges, and friends and family. Forget all that and sit back and enjoy something so unique and very fun. The visuals, the music, and the technique all combine to create amazing performances and ESPN2 has the top 11 corps to vie for the world champion. My favorites were Carolina Crown's horse show and The Cavalier's Billy Joel Show. They only show about 5 or 6 minutes from each show but it is probably the best part. I would not have minded seeing the whole show of the top three though.
Target had this set for under $40 which is pretty good for a six disc set. The packaging is nice, with comic rendering and not a lot of flash. I like the understated logo of this series, a world surrounded by light signifying the eclipse and the impending doom.
