Tune In or Tune Out: Almost Human (FOX)

Almost Human (FOX)

Created by: J. H. Wyman (Fringe)

Starring: Karl Urban, Michael Ealy, Minka Kelly, and Lili Taylor

The creators/executive producers of two FOX fall shows are going to elevate the network to a new standard, that's Sleepy Hollow, and Almost Human.  The head of FOX was a big fan of Fringe, its the reason the show lasted as long as it did, and its not wonder he optioned pilots from creative minds from the show, and they are both going to do well.

Almost Human is set in 2048, the Los Angeles Police officers are paired with lifelike androids also known as synthetics.  The show centers around John Kennex (Urban) who was involved in a very serious explosion, killing numerous police officers including his partner.  John wakes up after 17 months in a coma, trying to remember who and what happened to the other police officers.  As he strains his emotional capacity John also goes back to work where he is eventually paired with a non state of the art 4 year old synthetic named Dorian (Ealy).  The two are at odds but eventually work together throughout the first episode to help save the day.

The shows strengths are apparent, things start strong right out of the gate, and the action is great.  The opening sequence is well done.  Karl Urban and Michael Ealy are fantastic they have great buddy cop chemistry, and they are going to be the driving force of this show if it succeeds.  The premise of the rising crime, and the need to use robots to help save the day is an interesting take on the way technology is growing.

The pitfalls, are the secondary characters who are all generic, this was, and still is one of my pet peeves with Sleepy Hollow, luckily that show has moved forward.  Human needs to move outside the standard formula with their secondary characters, and it will be a success.  While the action is strong, the CGI and lighting do not do much to help create a strong feeling of the future, up the budget, and get on that, and you can fix that easily.

At the end of the of the day the pilot was pretty entertaining, and I guess I will be adding another Sunday show to my TiVo.

Tune In: Entertaining, and Fun!

Time to Catch Up with the BBC and BBC2

Disappointed with this season of Homeland? Feel like the drama on Once Upon a Time has become too convoluted forgetting their own set-ups? Is Grey's Anatomy one step away from Daytime soap territory?  One thing is for sure many of the new fall dramas are hitting it out of the park, especially Masters of Sex, The Blacklist, and Sleepy Hollow.

While these new shows are aces, there are a lot of shows on BBC, and BBC Canada, which have made there way to the States, and are stealing the thunder of American shows.  Many people know about Downton Abbey, and Sherlock because they air on PBS.  Both shows have become increasingly popular, and found their fan in the United Kingdom, and all over the world.  Downton mixes a study in understanding a different time period with all the classic elements of the modern drama.  Sherlock sets Holmes and Watson in the modern day, and with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman on the case you can't go wrong.  These two shows have hit the mainstream, but there a few others shows/mini-series, which you need to check out.

Continuum is a Canadian Sci-Fi series, is set in 2077, and the present day.  A cop is sent back in time to prevent an anarchist group from rising, and creating a future in which corporations run every aspect of society.  The show is two seasons in, and third is on the way.  The first two seasons of the show is on Netflix, and worth a watch, there is some great action, and the plot moves at a rapid pace.  Season twos cliff hanger was off the charts great.

Curious to see if Jaime Dornan can pull off the dark aspects of Christian Grey?  Watch The Fall a BBC Two series, and you will see just how great he is at playing complicated men.  Dornan plays a serial killer and Gillian Anderson from The X-Files fame plays a cop hot on his trail.  The Fall is an edge of your seat drama, with only five episodes this is a quick watch on Netflix, and the second series (season) is set to begin filming in early 2014.  Catch up now, and you will be ready to watch this cat and mouse game unfold.

Have you heard the name Tatiana Maslany? If no, you are behind the curve on this, and should tune into the first season Orphan Black another Canadian Sci-fi series about a series of women who are clones.  Maslany plays numerous different characters ranging from a soccer mom, to a scientist, and Ukrainian spy , to name a few.  Maslany is the heart of the show; she won several American critics awards, and the show itself is interesting taking down the concept of the advancing science/technology, and the scary hold it has on our lives.    Check out BBC America, if you have it, or look for season one online.  The show will be back for season two in 2014.

At the moment Top of the Lake is looking like a mini-series rather than a full out series from BBC2  and Jane Campion (The Piano).  I will be honest the pacing of the show is a bit slower than the normal procedural in the States, but this 6 episode mini-series starring Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), and Holly Hunter was a great character study in patriarchy and the role of having a female cop come in and work to find a missing 12 year old pregnant girl.  Set in New Zealand this show series was not only beautiful, but filled with great performances.  You can watch the series on Netflix.

I sound like I am doing a lot of advertising for Netflix, and the BBC, but the truth is that these shows are an excellent escape from the typical every drama in the States.  One of the interesting facts about all these successful series is that they center around strong women, something missing in dramas in the States, although this is getting better.  Check out this series, the Brits, Canadians, and Aussies may be on to something!

Thor: The Dark World Shines with Humor and Tom Hiddleston as Loki

Thor: The Dark World (3 1/2 out of 5)

Directed by: Alan Taylor (The Sopranos, Mad Men)

Written by: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFreely, story by Robert Rodat and Don Payne

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman Tom Hiddleston, Renee Russo, and Anthony Hopkins

Marvel adds another piece of its puzzle, to both the Avengers Universe, and to the story of the God, Thor.  Each film, has built on to the lore of where the story is about to go, with both mid, and final credits, except for Iron Man 3.  Together these films do such a great job of creating a cannon of stories which all feed into one big Universe, but to me Thor has been the most consistent franchise.

Thor: The Dark World starts with a story told from Odin (Hopkins) about a battle his father fought with the dark elves.  The dark elves lead by Malekith tried to send the universe into darkness using the Aether.  The warriors from Asgard are successful in stopping the dark elves, and hide the Aether "in place no one would find it."  Cut the the present day, and two years after Thor first showed up on Earth and entered Jane Foster's (Portman) life.  Foster and her intern Darcy (Kat Dennings) discover an anomaly like when Thor first showed up; she is sucked into a wormhole and she disappears.  Thor has brought peace to the 9 realms, and once he discovers Darcy's disappearance he goes to Earth to find her and brings her to Asgard, and the battle against Malekith begins again.

In briefly reading the negative reviews of this film, I have to say that critics/bloggers sometimes just need to let go. One person compared this to the recent release of Man of Steel, the difference is Man of Steel tried to take the Christopher Nolan approach, and become deeper more meaningful film experience.  Man of Steel was not.  One critic said "can't these movies be about someone saving a puppy and not the end of the Universe?"  No they can't.  Thor is the best example of live action comic book fun brought to life, the film franchise is the most consistent, increasing the magnitude of whats at stake, and getting into Asgard more than ever before.  

This was Alan Taylor's first feature film; he is a regular and highly acclaimed television director for shows like The Sopranos, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, and Nurse Jackie.  I think Dark World is a great accomplishment for him for two reasons.  The first is the action is great, and he realizes the humor within the script.  Two the film is better than the first, and even critics who knock this film agree.  Dark World achieves something wonderful, the film is beyond entertaining, and does not try to be something other than a good comic book movie.

At the end of the day the humor is what saves this film, Chris Hemsworth hanging his hammer on a coat rack, or jovially laughing after he bests a creature to bring peace to the nine realms.  Hemsworth was the perfect choice for Thor he is great.  While Hemsworth is great as Thor, the real scene Stealer is Tom Hiddleston as Loki.  Loki is locked away in Asgard, but released to help his brother defeat Malekith.  Hiddleston brings even more light, fun, and entertainment to this film; he is the best part of this movie.  There is one bit where he uses his mischievous cloaking to change both he and Thor into different characters, its one of the funniest moments, and great fodder. 

At the end of the day Thor: The Dark World, is a fun action packed, romp filled with a great blend of humor, that makes the movie an enjoyable experience.

A Tribute to Great Film: Flirting with Disaster (1996)

Long before  director David O. Russell was clamoring for Oscar; he was making some of the smartest,
 and most original films.  Flirting with Disaster (1996) was not O. Russell's first feature film that was Spanking the Monkey (1994).  Both films are hilarious, but Disaster and his other film Three Kings (1999) are his best, ironically neither of these films got any attention from the Academy, and his lesser films The Fighter (2010), and Silver Linings Playbook (2012) won Oscars.

Moving away from the Oscar let's focus on Flirting with Disaster, which is such a great ensemble piece.  The film stars Ben Stiller as Mel Coplin, Mel was adopted and he decides to look for his parents after his son is born.  Mel uses an adoption agent named Tina Kalb played Tea Leoni.  Once Tina locates his birth parent, she Mel and Mel's wife Nancy Coplin played by Patricia Arquette head out on a dysfunctional road trip to meet/find Mel's birth family.

The premise seems pedestrian, and typical, but David O. Russell is a master of quirk in both his scripts, and his direction.  All of O. Russell's early work ranging even up up until 2004's I Heart Huckabees held on to this magnanimous quality.  O. Russell built a great dark humor within this film, and it never tries too hard to play with your emotions.  Flirting with Disaster is just plain hilarious, twisted, and all around one of the most underrated films of the 90s, and all time.  This film is the first glimpse into the genius of David O. Russell, and I hope American Hustle brings back that genius.

Enough swiping at O. Russell's grasps for Oscar; the man knows how to direct a great ensemble.  Ben Stiller is great in one of his first roles, as that hapless guy just trying to do right.  Patricia Arquette is also quite good as his wife who just wants her husband to pay attention to her needs, the jokes about her giving him a blow job, kill me.  While Stiller and Arquette are hilarious, my favorite lead in the film is Tea Leoni, her neurosis and constant mess ups with Mel's parentage are some of the funniest mometns in the film.

This film could also not exist without Mel's adopted parents, played so well and with perfect guilt by Mart Tyler Moore in a more like her Ordinary People character with humor, and George Segal a master of dark humor.  On the journey to finding his birth parents Mel's interactions become funnier by the moment, ranging from this southern woman living in San Diego played by the great character actress Celia Weston to his actual crazy LSD loving parents played by Lily Tomlin and Alan Alda.  On the road to his parents he meets two federal officers, the scene stealers of the film Richard Jenkins and young josh Brolin.  They are both a team at work and in the sheets.  Each of these actors plays their part so brilliantly, forming one of the best ensembles, but favorite joke is when they keep making Richard Jenkins character switch seats/cars or anything because everyone finds him annoying, priceless.

O. Russell knocked this film out of the park, and this is one of my new favorite comedies, the writing the acting are all so sharp, and this is the beginning of the career of a man who would direct great character studies, win our hearts, and make you laugh a lot.  Flirting with Disaster one hilarious film, and a classic.

Disney's Animated Characters, Nostalgia Drives the Creation of Live Action CGI Film and Television

A long time ago, well maybe 25 years ago I remember my friends and I scooping up, and competing for who had the most Disney movies on VHS.  They were a part of my childhood, I was brought up during the era of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.  This era was known as the Michael Eisner/Jeffrey Katzenberg era, when Disney's animation came out of a depressed time to dominate once again.  Katzenberg knew the power Walt Disney had, and wanted to bring the classic nature of Disney animation back, and he did.

Jump to 2010, and the live action CGI version of Alice in Wonderland (2010) is released.  The film was a mess, but audiences showed up in droves all around the world.  Alice in Wonderland (2010) was the second highest grossing domestic film of the year making 334 million dollars.  Allice doubled her fun in the foreign markets making 691 million, for a combined gross of just over 1 billion dollars.  Pretty amazing.

Just a little over a year later ABC, which is owned by Disney created the television series Once Upon a Time, which uses characters from Disney animated films like Snow White, Ariel, Peter Pan, and many wicked counter parts to bring to life more childhood memories for people in a live action CGI manner.  The show is currently in its third season, and has spin-off which was released this September entitled Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.  The original Once is its in third season.

Universal jumped on board creating Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012, focusing on the connection between Snow, and the man who was supposed to kill her.  In that same year 20th Century FOX released Mirror Mirror with a focus on the relationship between Snow and the Wicked has seemed to put a lot of focus onto Snow and her relationship with the Wicked Queen with a more humorous twist. Both films missed the mark creatively, although Huntsman was much better thanks in large part to Charlize Theron, and was more successful at the box office. Huntsman was an action packed blockbuster, which made 155 million domestic, and 241 million foreign, the film also has a sequel in the works.  Even with Julia Roberts Mirror Mirror could not find its footing in the domestic box office, it only made 64 million, and 101 million in foreign markets.

Walt Disney Pictures is back in the game, and they adeptly picked the focus of the title of their next live action action rebirth to be Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.  With the trailers release today, there is hope that Angelina Jolie can bring the dark fun she typically brings to roles, and make some more money for the "Mouse House."

These movies, and television shows all come back to nostalgia, bringing this current millennial target demographic their favorite things from their childhood.  A big part of that childhood was animated Disney films ranging from the classic Snow White to the more recent Lion King.  Todrick Hall who started out on American has even been tailoring many of his fantastic videos around these classic Disney characters, see his recent rendition of an adaptation of the "Cell Block Tango" which he adapted to the "Spell Block Tango" (see video below). Nostalgia is a driving force, and not only brings back the fond memories of childhood, but helps connect generations within different forms of new media.

State of the Oscar Race 2013: Exploring the Unknown in this Year's Supporting Actor Oscar Category

Last year's Supporting Actor race was one of the most interesting races.  The critics loved Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike, but he was ignored at all of the "major" award shows.  Tommy Lee Jones got some recognition from critics groups, and the Screen Actor's Guild Awards (SAG).  The eventual winner was Christoph Waltz who also won at the Golden Globes, and BAFTA, for what is largely refereed to by many as a lead performance. What made this category interesting last year was the fact that every nominee was a previous winner, the other two nominees were Alan Arkin for Argo, who won for Little Miss Sunshine, and Robert DeNiro in Silver Linings Playbook, who has two Oscars one for The Godfather Part II, and one for Raging Bull.

What makes this year just as interesting?  The fact that only Tom Hanks who will compete for Saving Mr. Banks has the most history with Oscar with 5 nominations, and 2 wins in the lead category.  This category has a lot of unknown factors. Many of the performers within this category have never received Academy attention, or have only been nominated once before.  See the the list of major contenders listed below:

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club (never nominated)
Pro: Method performance, many actors eat up a performance like this, and why shouldn't they?  Leto is great and I would argue is the front runner.
Cons: Does the slight homophobia which exists in Hollywood understand this performance, the more conservative voters.  Will they get this role?

Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks (two time Oscar nominee, 5 time nominee in acting)
Pros: Enter Tom Hanks who is getting rave reviews for playing Walt Disney, the man who has the most Oscar nominations, and basically beloved.  A beloved actor playing a beloved Oscar winner, Hollywood eats that up!
Cons: Hanks has 2 Oscars, is that enough?  Some may think yes

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave (only nominated for Golden Globe)
Pros: Oscar loves their bad boys in this category, and Fassbender is the baddest!  
Cons:  Is he too bad?  I do not think he can win, but a nomination is likely.  He has also said that he will not campaign.,

Barkhad Abdi-Captain Phillips (never nominated)
Pros: Hanks is going to champion Abdi to a nomination, and he has a lot of friends.  I have heard a lot of celebrities talk about how impressed they were with this relative unknown.
Cons: His unknown status, are people going think only about the titular Captain Phillips aka Tom Hanks.

Daniel Bruhl, Rush (never nominated) 
Pros: Great performance about overcoming and affliction, and achieveing even further greatness, the classic success story Oscar likes to see.
Cons: No one saw this film, and unless Bruhl gets major love from the critics he could be all but ignored, if he shows up at the Critics Choice and Globes this could telling.

Harrison Ford-42 (nominated for 1 Oscar)
Pros: The only performer who could seen as that underrated performer in this category this year; he has only one Oscar nomination, and is vastly overdue for consideration.
Cons: Solid performance in a decent film, it has happened many times before, but 42 is not going to be considered in any other categories, which again has happened before, but does he deserve it for this?

John Goodman, Inside Llewyn Davis (never nominated)
Pros:  Goodman has been on the radar of Oscar the last few years turning in great scene stealing performances in Argo, and Flight.  Goodman is a Coen regular, could this be the role that finally gets him on Oscars radar?
Cons: Is Davis going to be one of those Coen movies Oscar voters "do not get?"  It could, but prestige may win out, and help sneak in this category.

Matthew McConaughey, Mud (never nominated)
Pros: He is going to get attention for Dallas Buyers Club, which could make others tune into this film as well; he also gives a great understated performance.
Cons: McConaughey a double nominee in one year?  The film did better than Take Shelter, but are people/voters going to tune in, or make this happen?

David Oyewelo, The Butler (never nominated)
Pros:  The film has the Weinstein Co. on its side, and they know how to get nominations, see Silver Linings Playbook last year.  Oyewelo is great in the film and deserves consideration.  People are underestimating the two men in this film.
Cons:  Another unknown, and while I am certain Harvey will do a major push for The Butler at the moment its an out sight film.

Jake Gylenhaal, Prisoners (nominated for 1 Oscar)
Pro: Like with his previous nomination Gylenhaal could get a nomination for a lead role, did they really campaign him supporting for Brokeback because he was the bottom?  "Leads" do well in this category
Cons: Prisoners seems out of sight out of mind, one of those forgotten films that just was solid and well made, but will never hit Oscars radar.

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle (nominated for 1 Oscar)
Pro: He was nominated for an O. Russell film just last year.
Cons: No one has seen the film, hard to say.

This is of course not every possible contender, but these appear to be the strongest at the moment.  The nominees will be centered around a combination of which films people "love" and performances they admire, except for Hanks none of these men have been "major" players for Oscar more than once.  Only Ford fits in the overdue category, like Christopher Plummer, James Coburn, and Morgan Freeman, but he is on the low end of most predictions.  I am excited to see how this category turns out, there are so many great supporting performances out there.

Dallas Buyers Club is a Fantastic Film, Lead by Two Strong Performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto

Dallas Buyers Club (4 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by: Jean Marc-Vallee (The Young Victoria)

Written by: Craig Bortan and Melisa Wallack (Mirror Mirror)

Starring Matthew McConnaughey, Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner

People always talk about the fact that a "cure" for HIV/AIDS has to be around the corner.  This film focuses on buyers clubs which are underground methods which attempt to get around federal/state laws.  Buyers clubs exist for all sorts of this ranging from marijuana to the focus of this film the Dallas Byers Club, which helped people get safe medication while high dosage of AZT was crippling people's immune systems.

The film tells the story of Ron Woodroof (McConnaughey) a straight male who is diagnosed with HIV and eventually contracts the AIDS virus.  Woodroof had lots of unprotected sex and did lots of drugs, but at the time of his diagnosis HIV/AIDS was still known as GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency). The climate of Texas at the time, and for the most part still today there was rampant homophobia.  Woodroof is told he has 30 days, and eventually fights to get treatment through buying AZT illegally.  Once the well runs dry Woodroof ends up in Mexico and all over the world finding alternatives to helping people feel healthy with the disease.  Woodroof starts this buyers club with woman named Rayon (Leto), together they create the Dallas Buyers Club where they sell membership to people dying of the diseases.

Club is a powerful film, and the film is made great by the performances from McConnaughey and Leto.  McConnaughey has knocked me out this year with two terrific performances in both this and Mud.  In Club McConnaughey transforms his body for the role losing tons of weight, but also disappearing into this character.  Woodroof is kind of scumbag throughout most of the movie, and he's someone you want to hate mainly for his rampant homophobia.  McConnaughey adds so many layers to this character making him layered, showing his passion, and heart to not help keep himself healthy, but to do right by other people in fighting the FDA on the policies.  The best role of his career.

I have always thought Leto was a great actor, Fight Club, American Psycho, but most of his career has been focused on his time as a musician with 30 Seconds to Mars.  Leto proves he has the chops as Rayon a transgender female.  While McConnaughey is going to get most of the attention because he is great, Leto gives this film heart; he is fantastic as Rayon.   Rayon has confidence, but in her vulnerable moments Leto shows the cracks in the exterior beautifully; he is phenomenal.

While these two men deserve the vast majority of the credit, the unsung hero of this project is writer Craig Bortan.  There is no data,, or information about Woodroof beyond an interview Bortan did with him in 1992 one month before Woodroof passed away.  In the interview Woodroof was said to be incredibly candid, mainly because he knew was so close to death.  Bortan does a good job giving these two people such fantastic depth.  My one complaint in the film is Garner's character who plays a doctor, helping run AZT trials.  Garner is great, but I think the character pulls focus away from these two.  Woodroof getting a love interest made the man in the film "more like able" but the goal of the film should be the man behind the club.  I found McConnaughey's growth as a person and connection to Rayon to be strong enough to make this a great film.

Director Jean Marc-Vallee brings to life an intricately woven tale about a complex man, and his constant struggle to live while fighting the government and some of their most inane regulations.  Marc-Vallee's first film, which I saw entitled C.R.A.Z.Y., was fantastic, The Young Victoria was a bit cold, but not bad.  This takes his direction to a whole new level, and creates an experience, which can't be forgotten.