Ahhh….ya know Part 3

And, we’re back…

I’ve also been watching a lot of TV. The fall season has begun with the return of some favourites and the start of some brand new highly anticipated shows. Here’s what I’ve been watching.

Gotham

I really want to like this show. I am giving it time to find its bearings because I can see the potential in it. The setup is there, the cast is great, they just have to get the story right. The biggest problem I see already is that they are trying to shove way too much into the show right from the start. They aren’t taking the time to introduce characters. In the first episode they just kept throwing names around without proper intros. As an avid comic book reader I know all the names and just dropping them is an unnecessary distraction and left me wondering why they are doing it so early. The weren’t dropped like tasty morsels but more like throwing a bucket of water in your face; it leaves you confused and unsure of what is happening. But after watching…I believe 9 episodes now, it seems to be finding its way; episodes are less clunky and superfluous characters seem to have purpose.

Selfie (No I don’t know what made me watch this)

I have only watched 3 episodes of this show and there is a charm to it but it just isn’t very good. I know the main character is supposed to be annoying and insufferable but you can’t have a character so unlikable because it makes the show unwatchable. After watching the first episode I wanted to like it as John Cho is in it and he isn’t bad it is just everything that surround him kind of is.

Manhattan Love Story

I am going to admit something, I like this show. It is cute (I kinda hate that word but it fits here), well-ish written, and I like the characters. It is also another one of those shows where the secondary characters are better than the main characters but at least these main characters are not insufferable. The biggest problem is how are they going to make this a multi-seasonal show? Once the couple gets together what is there to look forward to, care about?

Black-ish

I am happy to say that this is a pretty well done show. It is the first black cast driven show that I have been interested in watching since “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” was on. I have no connection with all those shows on BET that manage to keep going for some reason. The characters are foolish and unreal and, to me, do more damage to the image of black people than gang wars and rappers (couldn’t think of any other stereotypes, fried chicken?). The show’s set up is simular to that of “Fresh Prince” in that it is a well to do black family in a predominantly white neighbourhood who have predominantly white peers. The difference is that it is not a wayward relative who is obsessed with “blackness” but the father. He sees in his kids that they are losing who they are because they are no longer “black” enough. So as you can see this could go very wrong very easily but they manage to skirt that line between funny and offensive. Sure there are some questionable things but that is simply based on perspective and what you define as “black”. I hope this show gets a good chance, I think it could be great.

The Knick

This HBO/Cinemax show about New York’s Knickerbocker Hospital at the turn of the century is simply….captivating. It is disturbing, violent, racist, and eye opening. From what I can tell the time period is perfectly captured in its corrupt, sweaty, gritty form. The show is directed by Steven Soderbergh who doesn’t shy away from making his audience uneasy. He takes you into archaic surgeries showing every cut and its consequence; into opium dens and their dank filth; dives into the racial/social divide and its violent outcomes. Clive Owen is brilliant as Dr. John Thackery. His character’s reckless behaviour coupled with his genius is fascinating. Andre Holland as Dr. Algernon Edwards is equally brilliant as Dr Thackery’s…let’s call him nemesis. His performance is passionate and nuanced. He is fantastic in both the small and the big scenes. All the cast does an amazing job and deserve to be recognized for their amazing work. If you haven’t seen this yet, watch it. Just be warned it is not an easy show.

The Goldbergs – Season 2

I didn’t watch this show much in season one – I liked it but it didn’t really draw me in – but it came back before a couple other shows I usually watch and I gave it a proper shot. It is hilarious. It is a complete nostalgia trip in the best ways possible, the characters are ridiculous but real at the same time, and it is narrated by Patton Oswalt. I love the fact that the creator of the show based everything on his own family and at the end of the show there is a clip, obviously from VHS, where he got his inspiration. Its great.

Girls – Season 3

I almost gave up on this show. Season 2 seemed meandering and lost with little in the way of character development or story. Much of it seemed to be for shock value and I was just bored with it. Season 3 however brought the show back up to Season 1 quality. There were heartfelt moments that brought a tear to my eye, hilarious moments, and of course a lot of “what the hell is wrong with you?!” But those moments all seemed genuine and purposeful. Characters moved, changed, some for the better some in the wrong direction. I hope this carries over into season 4. One last thing, Marnie is the worst person ever!

New Girl – Season 4

I have been kind of off and on watching New Girl this season. They kind of lost me in season 3 as things just got silly. It wasn’t funny, the characters seemed dumber, and no one was really doing anything. This season though I have had some legit laughs and they are slowly winning me back.

The Mindy Project – Season 3

This show is just funny. Sure it gets a little silly sometimes and Mindy Kaling’s voice can get pretty high but the cast is great, the characters they play are interesting and it all around just works. Sure there are episodes that aren’t as good as others, you can say that about any show, but for the most part it is thumbs up.

Sleepy Hollow – Season 2

Ok, I know this show is overall ridiculous but I get a kick out of it. The banter between Ichabod and Left Tenant Mills is just preposterously hilarious. It is like one of those so bad its good movies that you have to keep watching just to see where it goes. Will the horsemen ride? Or will the thwart Malic’s (?) plans and save Sleepy Hollow and the world? Who knows? But right now I am enjoying the excessive cheese of the whole thing.

I also managed to see 3 movies (all in the same week) that I only realized are related.

Interstellar

It is incredible how quickly the Christopher Nolan backlash got started with this one. The bigger his movies get the faster people want to just rip them apart. But, The Dark Knight Rises is the exception, he is a really good story teller and I think he is reaching into concepts that most people don’t understand and in dumbing things down or converting complex theories to a visual medium some things are lost. People are getting so caught up in looking for the wrong that they do not see the story in front of them. I am not saying this is the best movie ever or anything I just think the intense backlash is unnecessary. Also, on the flipside of things, using this movie as a teaching medium is just stupid.

Anyways, I really liked this movie. It was big, loud, and juxtaposed with moments of small quietness. It is a movie about space exploration to same the human race. It has to be immense and encompassing. And this movie does all of these things in the best ways possible. Matthew McConaughey did a great job conveying the grandeur of their mission, the wonders of being somewhere different, light years away. I will even admit that Anne Hathaway did not annoy me in this role she worked as the want to be stoic astronaut. In the smaller moments of human interaction you really felt what they were feeling. And the surprise casting wasn’t distracting but added to the overall film as you just wanted to see what they would do. Casey Afflack showed up, then Matt Damon, and Topher Grace and they were great in their small roles.

I also want to bring up the robots TARS, CASE, and KIPP (who you don’t see in action) are amazing. They are these monolith style entities with personalities and amazing abilities and none of it seems far fetched. I was happy to see that they went away from the humanoid model and went for something completely different but in a greatly practical way. I wanted to see more of them.

With all the good there was a bit of bad in there. Apart from some of the scientific inaccuracies there was some of the preachy nature of the whole thing. We must think now to save ourselves in the future. There was also the repeated use of the Dylan Thomas Poem “Do Not Go Gentle In To That Good Night”. The first use was a bit blatant but poignant. The second time was like didn’t you just do this? The third time…come on! WE GET IT! Then there is the matter of how the first death came about. I don’t know if it was how it was edited but it looked like there was no reason for that guy to die. He just didn’t move. I was like, “what the…?” There was also the predictability in some parts of the film. Saw the OMG moment coming from a mile away.

Anyways, Interstellar is a great movie that deserves to be enjoyed on the big screen to get the full encompassing feel.

The Theory of Everything

So moving from going through black holes to someone who has spent his life developing theories about black holes, space, and, well, everything. This Stephen Hawking bio-pic is a much smaller movie than Interstellar. It is a facinating look at Stephen Hawking before he was wheelchair bound to just after his most famous book, “A Brief History of Time”, was published. I found out a lot about the scientist that I had never known before. The movie was more about the love between him and his wife that about the science (it is in there though).

It is a good movie. The acting is great, the story is interesting, and the pacing is pretty good. Eddie Redmayne portrayal is spot on bring Hawking’s charm and wit to light and showing that being in a chair doesn’t make you trapped. What kept this movie from being great was the direction and editing choices that were made. If certain scenes were different, if instead of throwing certain parts in a “montage” it would have been better understood, and some decisions just seems weird.

This is not a movie that has to be seen on the big screen but it is still worth seeing just to get a better insight to the things that Hawking has done.

Big Hero 6

I want to like Big Hero 6 more than I actually do. It is…mediocre; flashy, colourful, mediocrity.

People like it so much because there is so much bad cinema out there that when something is mediocre it is still better than what came before. But sadly that doesn’t actually make it good. This is not a bad movie. There is a fine story, some fun characters, very funny moments, and it is so pretty. The hyper-coloured world/characters, well timed humour, and fun character moments, masks the fact that the overall story was haphazardly thrown together. Character bonds are formed out of nowhere, abilities magically appear, and the “twist” comes out of left field. It feels choppy overall.

The first act of the movie, the intro to the characters and environment, is great. It is engaging, interesting, making you want more. The bond between Hiro and Tadashi is felt and understood. You are also given a glimpse at Baymax and the rest of the characters in this story. You like these characters and want to see where this journey takes them. But after that “more” comes into play it just isn’t right. There is a lot of fast pacing through the character development and bonds between said characters. The only properly represented bond development is that between Hiro and Baymax. Yes that is important to the overall film but forgetting the rest of the characters is a detriment to the overall story.

I also had a problem with the voice-work in this animated work. I thought most of it was lackluster and amateurish. It just didn’t feel/sound polished. Their wasn’t enough forcefulness, emotion, gravitas, in the character voices. It drained many of scenes of their impact. The exception was TJ Miller as Fred and Scott Adsit as Baymax. They were spot-on perfect. The voice and intonations were just glorious. Those 2 characters saved the movie.

Big Hero 6 is worth the watch. Kids will like it cuz it is bright, light, and fun. Adults will like it cuz there are some genuinely good laughs in there. But don’t think about it too much.

Ok, I finally think that is it.

Tra