Things in Movies, TV, and Music I am Thankful for This Year

Movies


More films centered on women-Maybe Hollywood will realize that women centered films can be Post to both solid, and money makers.  Two films that come to mind right away are The Help, and Bridesmaids.  Both films were some of, if not the most entertaining films of this year.  Bridesmaids was hilarious, and there were very few central male characters.  The Help was heartfelt and well acted and was focused centrally on the women.Twitter


The Muppet's-I am so happy this group of puppets is back.  I am so happy Jason Segal brought Kermit, Miss. Piggy, Gonzo, Fozie, and Animal back into my life.  The movie was hilarious, and brought out some great celebrity cameos.


Marvel Comic Book Movies-They started with Thor, then there X-Men: First Class (the best) , and closed out with Captain America.  These three films took the time create wonderful stories with great action, and unlike Green Lantern or the Green Hornet they did a good balancing story with action.  The other important part was that the casting was well done, from Michael Fassbender as Magneto to Thomas Hiddleston as Loki (the only awful call was January Jones).

Ryan Gosling- This boy can act!  I have seen quality work from him in the past in Blue Valentine, Half Nelson, and Lars and the Real Girl, but he had three amazing performances this year alone.  Gosling started with the summer film Crazy Stupid Love, where he was both sexy and hilarious.  Then Gosling had his starring role in Drive where he played the sulky stuntman/criminal.  He closed out the year with his best performance in The Ides of March where he started out an ambitious aid to a politician and ended up a bitter sullen victim of the game of politics.

Some great Original Screenplays- Midnight in Paris was romantic hilarious and beautifully written.  The Tree of of Life is ambitious and a revelation.  Martha Marcy May Marlene is dark and thrilling.  Margin Call is one of the most interesting looks at current financial situation.  Taking Shelter is a great look mental illness and how fear of losing things shapes our reality.  Even Bridesmaids (with its flaws) is a hilarious piece of work.  There are still so many great ones to come!Th

TV


AMC- The Network is amazing!  They are currently airing The Walking Dead, which is having a great second season.  The first season of The Killing was addicting.  The fourth season of Break Bad continues the show's pattern of only getting better.  Mad Men will be returning in the new year.  What more could anyone want? This network is great!

Emily Van Camp-I love good soapy drama and she is currently the the headline of one of my biggest addictions this year, Revenge.

The Ensembles from Community and The Good Wife


Community has found their groove again, and NBC is shelving them for a short time?  This show has done such an amazing job evolving and continuing to be funny, and I could watch it over and over again.

The Good Wife's ensemble (including its guest stars) work impeccably together.  The cast is lead by Marguilles but this is not a one woman show.  The directors know how to intertwine stories and bring characters together.

Louis CK and Larry David-I am thankful for bitter sarcastic, dark humor!  Louis CK and Larry David have provided that for me this year.  Louis is a much darker version of Seinfeld, and his humor is so on point.  Meanwhile Curb Your Enthusiasm only has gotten better with Larry moving to New York City.

Music


4-I am thankful Beyonce has decided to to follow her heart, and work on music she wanted to make because it has paid off.  With great songs like "I Care" "I was Here" and her bigger hits "Run the World (Girls)" "The Best I've Never Had" and "Countdown" Beyonce should be proud.

Adele-Her voice is flawless and she can actually sing.  I have always loved this women, and new found popularity is great.  This Best New Artist Grammy winner is one of the best singers I have ever heard!

David Guetta-His DJ'ing and new CD is one of my favorite of the year.  This music is my gym mix and all of these songs are what make me want to just get out there and dance

Revenge Never Tasted So Sweet!

While on call last night at my job I was up until 2 am (busy night) so I was able to catch up on some television I have missed.  My boss Ann and a few other people have been telling me I have needed to watch the show Revenge on ABC. When I looked at what shows I was interested for the fall this show was not on my list.  I remember going to the movies and seeing previews for this show and laughing and thinking this is going to be a terrible show.  As I saw more previews the show looked more appealing (as a guilty pleasure), but I refused to give in.  Finally a couple of weeks ago I decided I had to make the time to see what people were talking about.  Last night I watched the first three episodes of this show back to back, and I have to say I am hooked.  I guess this was one of the good things about being on call at my job.

Revenge a is twist on the classic, "The Count of Monte Cristo" with a female character at the center, Emily Thorn (Amanda) who is out to seek revenge on the people who put her father in jail, and made Emily think her father was responsible for a terrible crime. . Emily goes back to the Hamptons for the summer rents a beach house, and her goal is to enact revenge on the different people who contributed to her father's fate, with her endgame being the Grayson family.  The Grayson family includes Victoria Grayson (Madeline Stowe) who is referred to as "Queen Victoria" because she rules the Hamptons, her husband Conrod Grayson, (Henry Czerny).  The Grayson's have two children Daniel Grayson (Joshua Bowman) the "love interest" for Emily, and Charlotte (Christa B. Allen).  The other characters include a younger Bill Gates type ally of Emily's named Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann).  There is also a homegrown family from the Hamptons who own a small bar/restaurant which focuses on two brothers who work and own the place Jack Porter (Nick Weschler), who was Emily's (Amanda's) childhood sweetheart and Declan Porter (Connor Porter).

The show sets the stage with a bang literally one of the main characters listed above is shot and killed within the first ten minutes of the pilot.  The show starts at the end of the summer with the big party for the end of the summer.  Emily's eyes say it all.  As you watch Van Camp commit these acts of revenge on the people who took her father down she looks poised and confident, but when the murder occurs at the beginning of the pilot she looks as though she may not be as sure of what she is doing and if she did the right thing with this one murder.

I loving the premise and the characters in this show, but like with Ringer (CW) I have to wonder how they will get the premise of the show to last and not drive fans nuts with drawing out the story too much.  I am going to continue to watch for the time being because the premise and the characters have me hooked!  The show has an added amount of camp.  Van Camp exudes this inner darkness through her sweet exterior; she has become stronger and I was nervous about her being able to carry a show on her own but she has great presence.  One of the interesting things about Emily Thorn is that you get why she wants revenge, but she is completely an anti-hero; she is doing terrible things to rectify past injustices.  I am excited to watch Emily and the "Queen Victoria" have it out.  The two look at each other on the show and they both know they hate each other, but in true Hamptons style the two fake pleasantries. Madeline Stowe plays evil and manipulative almost too well, as though it her second nature.  The rest of the cast mildly interesting, but I think as the show progresses they will flesh things out more.

Recently shows have tried too hard.  I was excited about Terra Nova, but the mainstream sci-fi genre is trying to make another Lost, and networks have not realized you have to let things happen naturally.  Revenge has a simple premise with an old school night time "soap opera" feel.  The new shows I have enjoyed most this season have had simple themes, and not tried too hard to be more than what they are.  I think this show fits within this category.  I hope they can flesh out all of the characters more, and keep going on the premise.  I know now that I am all caught up I will be watching tonight!