Yearly Archives: 2012

TV

SNL: 38.2 – Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Mumford & Sons

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After last week’s strong premiere, I was looking forward to this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, and thankfully it did not disappoint. This week’s host was a man having a very busy year- Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The cold open featured Jay Pharoah again, but surprisingly, not as Obama, but rather Michael Strahan, Kelly Ripa’s new cohost. Can’t say it was good. I suppose it wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t good. Bill Hader as a brooding Robert Pattinson was funny, just not funny enough to save the sketch. I will say though, as a fan, it is really fun to see when featured players become full cast members. You would think I had birthed some of them given how proud I get when they make that leap.

When the monologue first started, I’ll admit to getting a little nervous. It was very rushed and the jokes just fell flat.

And then this happened. Oh yes, apparently Mr. Gordon-Levitt’s favorite movie of the summer was none other than Magic Mike. The dance/strip scene came out of nowhere and was appreciated by womenfolk/some menfolk all across the country. Bobby Moynihan and his second vest literally made me laugh out loud.

With the first “commercial”, I began to wonder if we are ever going to see Aidy Bryant for more than a few seconds. The “Undecided Voters” featured both Cecily Strong and Tim Robinson. It wasn’t as funny as it was sad- we all know there are people out there who could fit perfectly in this sketch.

The real question everyone (okay maybe not everyone, but I certainly was) is who is Albert? Some random guy was in the sketch as Albert who wondered where his power cord was. Random guy is random.

Next up was the first of two, “Son of the Most Interesting Man in the World”. I so desperately wanted to like this and it had its moments but overall it just got old. The premise was strong, the execution was a little tired.

Bill Hader as a caricature drawing P.I. was all right, a little odd but then again, this is Bill Hader we are talking about.

Next up was my favorite sketch of the night- “The Hypnotist”. There are many times when I’m watching tv that I’ll look away/do something else and just continue with the show by listening. I am so glad I did not do that with this sketch because I would have completely missed it.  Set up was Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a two-bit hypnotist doing a show in some small hotel. It reminded me of Kevin Kline at the beginning of Soapdish.

The moment that Taran Killam lifted his head to tell the audience that he was not hypnotized, I was sold. And thankfully they found the right length of time to let that one go and it was just gold. Killam in his tighty whitey’s  as a hot lady dinosaur dry humping Keenan Thompson? Yes, please.

Another commercial this time for the GOB tampons featuring Vanessa McBrayer. Predictable, but amusing.

Musical guest this week was Mumford and Sons and thank you sweet jesus they were a thousand times better than Frank Ocean. This could be simply because I am a fan of Mumford and Sons and not Frank Ocean but I didn’t fall asleep this week, so who knows.

Weekend Update was on fire this week. The best friends of the “evil dictator of the week” were on and they are entertaining but featured player, Kate McKinnon stole the show with her Ann Romney impression. I think my new favorite line is “Apple Picking: It’s like Mormon Mardi Gras.”

Who would have thought that Ann Romney was such a big fan of Beyonce?

Mumford and Sons returned, this time as a Beatles cover band called “Hey Dudes”. This was one of those sketches where you fully expected Andy Samberg to jump in at any moment. Outside of a forced Jerry Sandusky joke, it was all right. The real fun of the sketch for me was just watching the actors enjoy it. The “walk out into the audience while singing” was a bit hokey, but I like hokey so I was all over it.

The last three sketches of the night were sadly not very good. Remember last week when I was so excited that the last sketch didn’t suck? The same can not be said of this week. “The Finer Things” was the winner of the bunch- mainly due to Bobby Moynihan as “Teddy Graham” and Jay Pharoah modeling with a Hermes purse. The singing parents sketch was only saved from complete failure by the fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a surprisingly good-looking woman. There was no saving “Powers Realty”. Flying wangs drawn on real estate ads is far from new, creative, or funny.

The goodbye’s were cut short, which is annoying, but it’s live tv so what can you do?

Overall? Even though there were some sketches that just did not work for me, I actually enjoyed this episode much more than the premiere. Why? I really like it when the host appears to just be another cast member. Seth MacFarlane was always reading cue cards and was obviously out of his element. Joseph Gordon-Levitt however, fit right into sketches like he does it every week. Perhaps he picked up some tips from the fabulous Jane Curtin while on 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Next week is a rerun of the season 37 finale (with Mick Jagger and Kristin Wiig’s farewell) but will return on October 6th with host Daniel Craig and musical guest Muse.

MOVIES

Grizzly Review: The Hole

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It’s been nine years since Joe Dante has directed a movie (2003’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action), and he hasn’t made a good movie since 1998’s Small Soldiers (another quick side note, if anyone ever insults Small Soldiers in my presence, you will not be pleased with the consequences; that is all) [Editor’s Note: That movie sucked. Do something.] Dante’s claim to fame was and always will be the classic 1984 horror/comedy Gremlins. Sure, by that time he had already directed the Jaws spoof Piranha, but Gremlins was really the thing that put him in the mainstream.

After that, he just kind of dropped off the face of the Earth. While he still directed some stuff, including 1990’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch, looking at his career, is there honestly one film that was as good as the original Gremlins? The ‘Burbs? Runaway Daughters? Matinee? All entertaining movies, sure, but not classic. [Editor’s Note: The ‘Burbs IS a classic. Consider that a correction.] Now, a decade after Dante’s last film, audiences are given The Hole, a blood and gore-lite horror film aimed at the bravest tween viewers.

Dane (Chris Massoglia) has just moved to the small town of Bensonville with his mother, Susan (Teri Polo), and his brother, Lucas (Nathan Gamble). Coming from Brooklyn, Dane and his family have moved around the country multiple times for his mother’s job, and have settled in Bensonville so she can work at a nearby hospital. Initially dreading his new life there, he soon meets his next door neighbor, the cute and fun, Julie (Haley Bennett).

The two become friends after Lucas discovers a mysterious hole in the basement. Guarded by numerous padlocks, the ominous pit has no apparent end. Anything that is dropped into the hole is immediately sucked in and never seen again. Spending most of their days attempting to figure out the origin and power of the hole, Dane, Lucas and Julie experience strange phenomena that tap into their deepest and darkest fears. It’s only after the sudden appearance of a little girl who climbs out of the hole do they realize that it’s the source of their fear and they have to stop it before any other malevolent spirits make their way out.

As one could theorize, The Hole essentially, The Door to Hell is In My Basement: The Movie. Julie even points this out at one point during the movie, something that validated my skepticism throughout. Aimed at a younger audience, The Hole is, for the most part, a pretty routine exercise for horror fans, but serves as a great introduction for children in their young adolescence, especially ones that have taken an interest in what goes bump in the night.

Treating its prepubescent with a little more respect than most kids’ movies do, The Hole can’t help but sometimes feel like a Nickelodeon Halloween special with a couple extra swear words. The characters aren’t written thinly, so to speak, but they’re written with an immediate sense of familiarity and predictability. We know this story, we know where it’s going, and we know how it’s going to end. Despite an initially original premise, The Hole is slowed down substantially by its insistence on appealing to a younger audience.

Joe Dante is a pretty good director, and there are some genuinely creepy moments in this movie, but as soon as things get a little too intense, a quick jump scare pulls whatever character that is in peril, out of said peril, and quickly moves on to the next scene. For instance, a wonderfully shot bathroom sequence that could have ended with something terrifying is cut short by a group of girls that walk in at just the right moment, literally tearing through the tension with their presence. The Hole is filled with moments like this and by the film’s 60th minute, it became a little annoying.

Much like other PG-13 horror films, The Hole never reaches its true potential. Then again, some of the great horror films of the 2000s have been PG-13 and this movie isn’t much more than an attempt at scaring younger kids without really “scaring” them, if you know what I mean. But more than any of that, what makes The Hole so unsatisfying is that it’s not terrible and it’s not very good either, it’s mediocre and repetitive. When there are literally hundreds of horror movies out every year, being mediocre is no longer an option.

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Graphic Novel Review – Officer Downe

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A simple tale involving a man who is a super cop, whose only goal in life is to fight injustice. This is Officer Downe, a bad ass law enforcer who is currently on a mission to stamp out all the illegal activities of Fortune 500, an infamous crime syndicate with animal heads who run things behind the scenes. Because of all the trouble Downe is causing them, the group enlist the aid of killer for hire Zen Master Flash and his team of highly trained assassins. Unfortunately for them, Officer Downe is no ordinary policeman.

Continue reading Graphic Novel Review – Officer Downe →

TV

‘Parks and Recreation’ Returns, Season 5 Clips

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At long last, the waiting comes to an end. In a matter of hours, Parks and Recreation will finally return from what has seemed like the longest hiatus in the history of television. Okay that might be a slight exaggeration but come on – I feel like Ron Swanson as he walked into the diner asking for all the eggs and bacon they had. I’ve been starving myself waiting for that first bite of sweet Swanson ass. Hmmm… this is getting a little creepy now.

I’ll be the first to admit that NBC does a lot of things wrong. The Olympics, The Today Show, NBC News in general, canceling shows before they even have a chance (this is my third mention of Kings in a week), their sometimes pain in the ass relationship with sites like YouTube; but one thing they do right is put out videos for their sitcoms. Granted you aren’t going to find them unless you are actively looking for them but hey, what do I know? And then you find them and they won’t embed and you spend a maddening amount of time trying to figure out why and find no answer so just click on the link and enjoy the trailer for Season 5.

Season 5 trailer

and then there is this…

“The perm must wait, Autumn. The perm must wait.” There’s a reason this woman was elected to public office, she is just so wise. Plus, I think we can all agree that any scene that involves Ron Swanson and food is bound to be awesome. Especially if that food has not quite made it to the “food” state yet.

If those two nuggets of goodness aren’t enough for you, or you just really want to know who Andy would sleep with given the chance, check out this Google Talk with Amy Poehler, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt.

Remember the Hamster Dance that was pretty much the first viral and completely annoying thing on the internet? Let me introduce you to it is much cooler and not quite as obnoxious cousin, Drunk Ron Swanson. I made it 674 seconds and feel like I might have a seizure at any moment.

We’ll use any excuse to use this Gif again…

Ron Swanson Dance

Hopefully I’ll recover in time to tune in to Parks and Recreation on NBC, Thursday nights at 9:30/8:30c. Waffle sundaes for everyone!

TV

Revolution: It Doesn’t Quite Smack of It… Yet

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When you combine transportation by horses, bows and arrows and swords, and small villages that farm produce and raise sheep, you would think that you’re stepping into a historical drama, possibly one from Medieval Europe.  However, this is actually the setting of our future, according to one new TV show.

The much-anticipated pilot of J.J. Abrams’ Revolution (directed by Jon Favreau) was shown on NBC two days ago, and the response has been mixed. Some say that the concept of the show is fascinating, that instead of humanity being threatened by zombies or infection or alien invasion, we have to face the reality of living without electricity.  Others say that everything else in the show falls well below expectations.

My thoughts?  I think we have to wait and see.

I wholly agree with those who think the concept of Revolution is unique.  After the scores of technological dystopias that have come our way the last several years, this idea of living off the land without electrical power is appealing.  The only other time I remember seeing any idea similar to this in current popular culture was in The Hunger Games, and even then some of the Districts still had electricity.

Also, maybe it’s because I built scenery for plays during my college years, but I found the effort put into the set for Revolution to be splendid.  While it’s a bit funny to see a cul-de-sac turned into a mini village with corn growing out of the ground and someone planting herbs in a broken-down Toyota, it’s also consistent and realistic with the situation in the show.  It’s also terrifying to see famous American landmarks like Wrigley Field in Chicago being overcome with crawling vines.  But I’m sure that’s what would happen in a world without electricity, so the image fits very well.  Finally, any CGI used is not very noticeable, which can be difficult for some shows to achieve.

ecorazzi.com
The foliage-laden city in Revolution reflects the early concept art

Small touches in Revolution really help to cement its presence into the brain as well, such as a “parking in rear” sign placed at the entrance to The Grand Hotel, now turned into a bar.  A computer power symbol is cleverly tucked into the show’s logo.  Charlie, the female protagonist played by Tracy Spiridakos, stores various items she has collected over the years, including an iPod, in a vintage Return of the Jedi tin lunch box.  That’s pretty hard to forget, especially for all the science fiction fans bound to be watching.

Despite all of these production qualities, the script felt lacking in several points, especially in regards to exposition and background story.  The pilot starts with a voice over describing very clearly the current state of affairs as we see images of the decrepit United States.  I felt like I was being talked to like a child who didn’t understand what 2+2 was.  Fortunately, the character voicing the lines was soon shown on screen, and he was indeed a teacher talking to a few students.  Lead-ins to shows can be tricky for the writers, but this one definitely felt awkward.  At another point, I was wondering why it mattered that we were watching Charlie and a few others sit around a campfire talking when the same exposition could have been revealed in a more creative manner.  In addition, many of the lines are not that compelling.

(Courtesy of slate.com)
I can’t figure out her mood.  Confused?  Worried?  Not thinking?

My main concern was with the acting and character development.  The “bad guy” did not feel intimidating to me, nor even the least bit creepy.  The village doctor dating Charlie’s father felt overly grim , and Charlie herself did not seem to have the ability to show emotion other than grief or frustration.  Spiridakos delivered her lines well for the most part, especially the ones where she started to cry, but otherwise I didn’t agree with her father’s character who called her “strong just like her mom.”  Spiridakos may play Fallout, but despite her involvement in that digital wasteland, I did not get a vivid sense of who her character was in this current wasteland of Revolution.  The only two character fates I was truly curious about were Charlie’s brother Danny, and an ex-Algebra teacher named Grace.  Their stories made me care to want to see the next episode.

The Revolution pilot did end with a few twists that made me tilt my head a bit and say, “Well, that’s interesting.”  The show does have promise, and I find it very difficult, if not hasty, to judge an entire series on just the first episode, especially when stories, characters, acting, and production tend to improve over the course of a show’s life.  As it stands, Revolution may not actually start one on TV, but it could have a very good chance to do so with a little improvement.

Courtesy of tvequals.com
This fight was pretty fun to watch, though.