June Movies: Not the Best Month

Splice
A woman who has mommy issues. A man who has horniness issues.  And a product of genetic splicing who has too many unnecessary mutations.  I just hated this movie and so did my three theater companions. The hubby and I had a case of the giggles throughout, and I'm pretty sure the film wasn't made to be a comedy. Oh, and the female lead reminded me of Julianne Moore, and ever since Blindness I just can't stand her.

Gamer
Gerard Butler's looking pretty buff in this movie.  Okay on to something of substance.  The film's premise is fantastic, but the delivery was lacking depth. The characters have no backstory and no clear motivations or personalities, and yet their foundations are ripe for exploration.  Seriously, there is this streak of genius running through the film, but it's neglected for superficial sex and violence.  This could have been fantastic but it's like they left the film in the hands of a twelve-year-old boy.

Law Abiding Citizen
Gerard Butler movie number 2 of the month. In this film, Butler plays a man whose wife and child were murdered, and the main culprit was let go in exchange for testifying against his partner. After the set up, people die in some seriously nasty ways, individuals question their complicity in a corrupt system, and shit blows up. The film divides its time between displaying over-the-top violence and questioning the justice system which means it spreads itself rather thin. I, however, enjoyed it, and felt that while the director may have been confused as to his purpose, Butler and Foxx still entertained.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
This is a strange tale with two men fighting over souls through the presentation of choices in a world of pure imagination.  I think. It's hard to say what the story really was about..... but the visuals were stunning.  Then of course, Heath Ledger morphs into Johnny Depp into Jude Law into Colin Farrell which is a unique - and rather hot - concept despite its rather macabre motivation. As an entertaining flick, I'm not a fan; but as an acid-trip art form, I enjoyed it.

True Blood: Seasons 1 and 2
I have to say that just like in the books, Sookie annoys the crapola out of me even while the story entertains.  I keep going back for more, and now I'm sad to wait so long for season 3.  I guess I'll get my fix by reading books 8, 9, and 10.  And may I just say that I am disturbed by my fascination with Eric - hello hotness.


And there you have it, a rather disappointing month in movies, but some mucho hotness in my TV on DVD.

May Movies

I'm a little late with this, but things got all confused with BEA and BBC and being a bit late on posting reviews and...I'll stop now.  While I typically discuss the movies I've watched over the course of a month, this time around I'll be talking about television.  The reason:  I didn't watch a movie all month.  I did, however, watch quite a lot of television.  And really watching television seasons on DVD is much more like watching a movie than it is like watching regular television, especially when you're watching three or four episodes in a row.

Supernatural

In the month of May, I watched the first four seasons of Supernatural, for the first time, thanks to my friends Jess and Jason who kindly lent me their DVDs.  Supernatural chronicles the life of two brothers, Sam and Dean, as they attempt to save the world from paranormal baddies such as ghosts, witches, and demons.  The lead characters are sexy, the soundtrack is awesome, and the plot is exciting with enough depth to keep my interest.  I can't wait for Season 5 to become available on SwapTree.

Entourage

Entourage is a fun, sexy show following the acting career of Vincent Chase as he and his three best friends navigate the waters of Hollywood with help from his agent.  My husband and I have powered through the first four seasons of this show this past month, and both of us love it.  This is unusual.  The hubby is extremely picky about his television.  He likes Lost.  He liked Firefly.  That's all I can think of.  Season 5 is ready and waiting, but we have to finish the final season of Lost first.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood is - surprise, surprise - about Robin Hood.  I'm in the middle of season 3, waiting for the next disc to come from Netflix.  Have I mentioned how much I love Netflix?  I'm enjoying the show; although I don't feel an obsessive need to watch it for hours on end like I do with Supernatural and Entourage.  I will definitely watch the rest of the show though.

Southland

Southland is a unique style of cop drama.  Instead of each episode focusing on one crime/criminal and going through the whole crime-detection-prosecution cycle, the show has a more documentary style feel.  We are observing 8 cops - officers and detectives - going about their business.  I've only seen the first season, but I will be grabbing the second season as soon as possible.

Okay that should cover me.  All in all, it was a very enjoyable month despite the fact that I was sick for about 2 1/2 weeks - hey, how do you think I got so many seasons done in one month?

Torchwood: Seasons 1-3

 

Torchwood

Seasons 1 - 3

When I wrote my first post about Torchwood, I had only watched about three episodes, and I was fascinated with the sexuality portrayed in the show.  There are two main relationships in the show, one hetero- and one homo-sexual, and the characters displayed bisexual tendencies quite often.  After watching all three seasons, I'm still impressed.  But it's not the only reason I adored the show.

Torchwood, a spin off of Doctor Who, is a BBC program about Captain Jack Harkness (and team) fighting irregularities in time, aliens, and other out of the ordinary events and people.  I suppose the show is most similar to the X-files: Harkness is the true believer Mulder and Gwen his skeptical Scully counterpart; the two have that unresolved smoldering attraction issue, although not to the extent of Mulder and Scully and it's not as frustrating as Mulder and Scully either.  For me, Torchwood is the "right kind" of science-fiction; the stories are sci-fi in nature, but character development is not sacrificed for the sci-fi gadgets and creatures.

The themes addressed in the program are intriguing and mature: sex and death being the most prominent.  I've already talked about the sex, but what about the death theme you might ask?  Well, it's not really pretty.  Death is rather existentialist in the world of the show.  Those who have died and come back (gotta love it) report a great absence, darkness, and something moving in the abyss.  No pretty white lights, heavenly gates, or vast libraries (personal hope).  Death is some scary stuff on the show.

The first two seasons of Torchwood were set up like your typical series, individual shows for the most part self-contained.  Season 3, on the other hand, was a five part miniseries that views like a five hour movie.  And it's bloody fantastic I might add.  My mother and cousin watched Season 3, Children of Earth, without knowing that it was an actual television series.  They just thought it was a stand alone, and even without the background knowledge of the show, they had no problem watching it and loving it.  Even if you don't want to watch all three seasons, you should watch Children of Earth.
~~~~~~~~~
This counts for the 42 Challenge, but I'm very unsure of how to count it.  I believe the challenge allows for individual episodes rather than seasons, but I'm not reviewing individual episodes so....

42: Torchwood Season 1

Torchwood
Season 1

"Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth, arming the human race against the future. The twenty-first century is when everything changes. And you've got to be ready."

One of the first things that struck me while watching Season 1 was its representation of sexuality.  Early on, multiple episodes feature positive homosexual references and activity.  In Episode 2: Day 1, the lead female character Gwen, makes out with (er...snogs - I just love the differences in language and accent) a woman who has been possessed by a being addicted to orgasmic energy.  In Cyberwoman, the lead male character, all bow before Captain Jack Harkness, passionately kisses Ianto in an effort to revive him (apparently kissing Harkness transfers life force or something of that nature). As the show goes on, Captain (Please Kiss Me) Jack snogs a few more men and the occasional kiss for a girl as well. Other characters also engage in same-sex fun.  The characters appear to be sexually fluid.  I have to say I started watching because I'm a geek for science fiction and fantasy television shows.  Now, I think I'm more interested in seeing where all this leads.  It's wonderful to see a tv series so progressive about sexuality without sex being the primary focus of the plot-lines. 

Outside of the hot guy-on-guy action taking place in the show (er..and girl-on-girl and guy-on-girl, and well you get the picture), this show is for me what SFF should be.  The stories are character driven with the aliens and technology taking a back seat to the emotions and desires of the people involved.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I am fascinated with more than just the characters' sex lives; they have to deal with love and loss, to maintain a balance between life and work, to rationalize a sense of self separate from and still part of the rest of humanity.  The entire thing is just ridiculously intriguing to me.

That being said, I do have a few issues:
-At times things are a bit over dramatic, both in the acting and in the plots.
-Sexual fluidity is one thing, but these people seem to just all want everyone, and the sexual tension can be a bit suffocating.
-There is a fine line between mystery and frustration, and the secrets about Captain Jack are tenuously straddling that line.

An Admission I Hope Doesn't Get Me Lynched and a Question I'd Like Answered:
-I've never seen Doctor Who.  Yep, I know. Terrible.  Then again I'm an American in her late 20s so Doctor Who was not exactly my prime time.  The show went off the air before I was nine, and the new version started up again during my "OMG only geeks watch scifi" stage.  I have, of course, accepted my geek status since that time. Anyone have the lowdown on Doctor Who.  Should I watch the original?  Should I watch the remake that I hear is currently airing? How much am I missing out on in Torchwood by not watching Doctor Who?

Okay, enough with the questions.  Now get yourself over to Netflix or your local video store and watch this - if you haven't already.

Challenges: 42 Challenge

Trisha on TV: An Ode to Shows I Miss

An Ode to Shows I Miss

Oh television, that small screen of dreams
How often do you provide pleasure for my eyes
And mind, only to flirt and tease and titillate
Before removing those wondrous images from sight.

Some forces of stimulation were ripped from me mid-coitus
But others petered out before the buttons on my blouse had even come undone

Why did you terminate Terminator?
Was John’s sexy stare not enough for you?
Did his well-toned brain join Lucas’s
Well over Six Feet Under on SeaQuest DSV?

You made me love The Nanny’s laugh
And then stripped her from me
Just like you flew me away from China Beach
And didn’t even leave me the safety of Homefront

How did those sexy Heroes get so distracted?
Were they abducted by the aliens in Roswell?
Someone please find me a Stargate
And I don’t care if it’s on Atlantis or the 3rd Rock from the Sun.

I need to take a Quantum Leap back in time
With Moonlighting my way, screaming
To Seinfeld that I’m Mad About You
Until I’m Pushing Daisies.

And don’t even get me started on Carnivale and Firefly
The only two who ever had me interested in a three-way
But were ripped from me, leaving me breathless and confused.
If only two were to return, bring these to me.

Oh, dear, sweet television
My fickle role-playing lover
How I miss the days past when you rained
Sweet kisses on my open eyes.

Trisha on TV

Just one short week from my last tv post and I've already developed new loves. I'm trying for two sentences and no more on my TV wrap-up.

NCIS x2
Both NCIS and NCIS:LA disappointed a bit the first week but picked up in week 2. I felt there was more action in both although they are still character-driven dramas, but what characters!

Lie to Me
I just love this show. Tim Roth is the perfect Dr. Lightman, quizzically staring at people and getting in their face in his almost-too-perfect lie detecting way.

FlashForward
Two episodes in and I am very intrigued by this show; although I'm a bit unsure about the whole "I'm with another man in the future" mini-plot as it could be overplayed.

Vampire Diaries and Fringe
Okay, these I have on DVR still...I'm watching so many freaking shows right now I haven't had time.

Castle
Nathan Fillion is one of the most interesting actors on TV. His character and his interaction with his character's family is the main reason I watch this show.

The Mentalist
My feelings for Simon Baker are not quite making up for the now familiar plotline of this show. I'm hoping some pizazz is added soon, so I don't have to drop it.

Criminal Minds
I have enjoyed this show since the beginning, and this season is shaping up to be no exception. It is consistently entertaining, interesting, and oddly insightful.

How I Met Your Mother
This would be the one true love on television these days for the hubby, Mr. T, and I have to admit that it is hilarious, completely hilarious. On a side note, I have to find "stripper Trisha".

The Big Bang Theory
I love Sheldon, seriously. I want to do bad things to him which is a bit disturbing.

The Forgotten and Eastwick
I've just given up. No more on these snoozers. Sorry to those who like them; I don't mean to offend.

And on DVD...

True Blood : Screw the two-sentences idea for this one
HOLY HELL. I just went from a luke-warm fan of the books to a damn fanatic. I love this show. I went through all of Season 1 in three days. (In my defense, I haven't been feeling so well, so sedentary activities were best...not that I wouldn't have done the same thing had I been feeling well.) Even Mr. T is now hooked; although he's only on episode 2. And believe me, that's saying something as Mr. T is not particulary involved with television. God love Alan Ball: American Beauty, Six Feet Under, and now True Blood. Now how soon can I see Season 2?

So what are you guys watching these days?

Trisha on TV

As the Fall Season of television begins - with a few new intriguing shows - I've been rather bombarded by images, information, and inanity. Here's some of it:

NCIS
In its seventh season, NCIS is like an old friend, and not that old friend that you wonder why you still talk to. I'm talking about the person who has been around forever, who you know like you know yourself, but who still manages to surprise you from time to time with trips to Vegas. Unfortunately the first episode of the season, Truth or Consequences, was more like a rainy afternoon lounging together on the couch than an exciting adventure. I'm hoping Gibbs and team pick up the pace by next week.

NCIS: Los Angeles
Being quite the fan of NCIS and Chris O'Donnell, I was very excited for the premiere. While the premise of the episode was fraught with possibilities, the action felt stilted, periods of boredom punctuated by a sudden punch. Maybe this episode was more like a character study than an action flick, but I still was left disappointed. I am, however, willing to give it a few weeks to get into the swing of things.

The Forgotten
Boring. I was bored. Really really bored. I think I'm going to have to drop this one.

Eastwick
Errrrggg. Also boring. I will not be watching next week.

Vampire Diaries
While the show is rather kitchy, I'm still sort of hooked. The lead, Stefan, has found one million ways to look sympathetic and brooding, and I'm holding out for the one millionth and one. The third episode contained some shifts I'm not impressed with such as Stefan joining football, but the premise of the show is very interesting, and of course, vampires are just cool.

The Mentalist
Simon Baker just tickles my fancy in this show. His arrogant, quirky, manipulative hyperintelligence is just sexy for some reason. I hope they have some new and interesting cases this year as I can see the show getting repetitive if they don't throw in a new hook. The new character they've introduced who will be taking over the Red John case offers some possibilities, but it's possible his attitude toward Jane will just be frustrating.

Fringe
My favorite so far this season, Fringe is such an oddball collection of the supernatural that I'm very excited to see where they take the show this season. And I am proud to say that I finally don't look at "Peter" and think "Pacey". I'm still a bit upset by the whole Charlie situation though; I just liked him.

Well, there are some of my thought about my two weeks of television watching. I still have a few more shows to watch such as Bored to Death, and I'm missing some of the summer shows like Leverage and Dark Blue, but I'm hopeful.

Now, how pitiful is it that I watch this much TV????? Is this what's in my future....