TV Thursday

I've been posting a lot about movies lately, but haven't spent much time talking about all my other interests. So, here's a brief round-up of all the awesome TV I have been watching lately:

-"Glee." What is there to say about Glee? Love the music and the choreographed numbers, and Jane Lynch is brilliant as the evil cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester. There isn't much I don't love about Glee, except maybe its reliance on auto-tune and putting the bulk of the vocals on Rachel (Lea Michele) and Finn (Cory Monteith). I love the satire but it is hard to see how they are going to pull more than a few seasons out of it without some drastic changes (but hopefully not keeping them in high school forever like The O.C.). Are there any colleges in Lima, Ohio that need a glee club?



-"Life Unexpected." I think the critics and I are the only people who watch this show which makes me very sad. It is a definite throwback to classic WB programming. One part melodramatic, one part humor, a dash of virtue and life lessons and boom! Perfect television. While I have not really warmed up to the Kate character, I love the character of Baze and would love to see more about how he and Kate got together in the first place. Lux is good, but the girl needs more storytime. It's basically been a Kate-Baze-Ryan love triangle so far, and I would love to see more Lux at school or Lux bonding with her parents.



-"Gilmore Girls." I know this isn't a new show, but after recently re-watching the first season, I have a better love for my favorite show of all-time. Yes, shows like Glee and Community make me laugh, but Gilmore Girls was its own brand of humor that few shows can pull off. It was intelligent, witty and reminded me of my own hometown.



-"Community." Community has been a welcome addition to my weekly TV schedule. It doesn't stick to the rules most sitcoms follow, and somehow manages to get funnier and funnier each week. Chevy Chase and Joel McHale are good in their roles, but in my opinion Abed and Troy make the show.



-"Parks&Rec." I was not a fan of this show last season. Leslie was unlikeable, the story was off and the gags were unfunny. This year, it is a completely different show. For one, the budding romance between April and Andy has been fun to watch, especially with Andy's cluelessness of the whole thing. I also love any scene that involves Ron Swanson. Leslie has developed into a great character with heart and charm and a dash of crazy overbearingness.



-"Modern Family." I like this show a lot, but I kind of worry that it may lose it's funny after one season. I think putting the families together is where it thrives; the episodes that keep them apart really hurt it. A little improvement in the storylines could go a long way to fixing that. I do love the Mitchell and Cam relationship. Too funny. And Manny is one of the best characters on TV. He needs more storylines.



-"Chuck." I'm a little late to the Chuck wagon, but I have fallen in love with this show. It is a fun satire that is totally unbelievable and revels in that. Last week's episode had me rolling on the ground. And since it is created by Josh Schwartz, it has a stellar soundtrack as well. Zachary Levi is awesome as Chuck and I have been loving the recent episodes featuring Brandon Routh and Kristen Kreuk. The only thing I wish it would do better is to have more Jeffster performances.



-"White Collar." I like this show, but it falls apart when Neal and Peter are off doing their own assignments. It's biggest asset is the Neal/Peter relationship and it has lost track of that during the second part of the season. And what happened to the Kate mystery? What a letdown.



-"Castle." Mysteries and mystery stories, with a dash of sarcasm. Perfect show? I think so. Castle is hilarious, although I don't think the NYPD would actually let him follow them around as "research." I'm hoping NPH makes a guest appearance and there will be a Dr. Horrible-like showdown, except NPH will be the guy trying to mess up Nathan Fillion's Castle.

Movie Monday: Alfred Hitchcock

So, this weekend I watched 2 great Alfred Hitchcock films, Blackmail and The Lady Vanishes. Although I had seen both of these films before, it was for a class and this was my first viewing for pleasure.

Blackmail is Hitchcock's first talking picture, and it was originally shot as a silent film. You can tell. The opening sequence lasts for about 10 minutes before anyone speaks. Although it is still early in his film career, Hitchcock displays many of the themes that appear in his later films, most notably the blonde female lead and the dark haired male lead. It is also one of Hitchcock's most interesting films because of the lack of distinction between hero and villain. Alice White is neither the heroine nor is she the villainess. No character emerges as a traditional hero. I really like this movie, but it takes a lot of concentration, like most Hitchcock movies. The lack of continuous sound makes it easy to lose interest, but stick with it! It is a great and interesting movie.

The Lady Vanishes is another unusal Hitchcock film: a comedy. The film does have the traditional Hitchcock moments of suspense, it is much more light-hearted than most of his fare. It also introduces two characters that became very popular in Britain: Charters and Caldicott. To me, these characters are far more interesting and likeable than the heroine, Iris. They should have more screen time, but even the great Hitchcock makes mistakes. I like this movie a lot because it offers a different more comedic version of Hitchcock, without lacking in story. Some of Hitchcock's color films also took a light tone (probably the best example is To Catch a Theif). However, The Lady Vanishes has a stronger storyline than any of those other light films Hitchcock made.

Movie Monday: A brief overview

So, January has come and gone and I think the last time I posted on here was a month ago. But here's a rundown of all the great movies I have seen since I last posted.

Sherlock Holmes
I loved this movie! Robert Downey Jr. captures Holmes the way I always saw him in my mind: a slightly arrogant, but brilliant crime solver. I actually kind of liked the original story too. It combines all the great nemisises Holmes had from Adler to Moriarty to Mary (Watson's wife). And I liked the way they showed his drug use. As a Holmes purist, I hated how the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies were always lacking this critical aspect to Holmes character. I also hate how the old movies portray Watson as bumbling old man. He was smart, although never as smart as Holmes. The match is better in this new version, although I don't really like Jude Law as much as I thought I would in this role. He's too pretty and not military enough.

Up
This is one of the best movies I have seen all year. I would go as far to say it is one of the best cartoons I've ever seen, and would definitely make my top 20 list. Although you could talk about the beautiful animation, the story is what makes the movie. First Ellie and Carl's love story, then Carl and Russell's friendship: adventures come in many forms. I also love how the movie deals with the issue of death with Ellie's simple signature: "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own." My favorite quote? "Now, we're gonna walk to the falls quickly and quietly with no rap music or flashdancing." Love Ed Asner!

Fiddler on the Roof
So, technically I only watched half of this movie, but I feel that was more than enough. Once again, another Russian epic but a little more lively than Dr. Zhivago. But it felt so much longer. So. Much. Longer. I think this would be much better suited to the stage than to film, so I'm going to give it another chance if it ever comes to the Fox or something. I recommend it if you want to be put to sleep.

Yes Man
I rented this and was really excited because I love Zooey Deschannel. And I liked the idea of the storyline: a man who isn't open to anything decides to open himself up to new possibilities, leading to a happier existence. Overall, however, this is not a movie I would recommend. Zooey is delightful (as always) but she seems too young to be Jim Carrey's love interest. And I thought the gross-out humor was misplaced with this storyline. It had a lot of potential, but this movie was lacking.

Operation Petticoat
I love Cary Grant, but I did not like this movie. It seemed old and out-dated, especially with its views of females. Why is this considered a classic?

With the Olympics on, my movie watching has been way down for the past week, but I'm hoping to get some crossed off my "Want to see" list this week while I have some free time, so hopefully I'll have some new reviews for the next couple weeks.

Movie Monday: Dr. Zhivago

So, apparently I am really bad at remembering to post on Mondays. I will share my thoughts on my most recently viewed movie (Sherlock Holmes) next week, but I want to back up and talk about another movie I watched at my grandmother's: Dr. Zhivago.

Dr. Zhivago is about poet-doctor Oskar Zhivago and seamtress' daughter, Lara, whose lives seem destined to be intertwined during the Russian Revolution. Zhivago is what every person should aspire to be. He is kind, generous and cares for everyone, Bolsheviks, Whites and even the man who keeps a 17-year-old Lara as a mistress.
The movie reminds me why it would completely suck to live in Russia during the Revolution. While Lara is poor and not much changes for her, Zhivago comes from a wealthy family who goes from having everything to utter poverty. They have no food or fuel, and are forced to give up their home and belongings. Then, they travel from Moscow to the Ural Mountains in a train car that is inhabited by at least twenty other people, where they are forced to break the layer of ice that covers the door in order to shovel out the "bathroom."
Dr. Zhivago is an epic at its best. The scenery is beautiful and the camera shots make you feel like you are in Russia, suffering along with Lara and Zhivago as they face the Bolsheviks and the cold.