Oct 13
“Zombieland” Movie Review
Last night I finally saw the movie “Zombieland” for the first time, and it was well, in the terms of Neil Patrick Harris, legendary! So in light of this I figured I’d write up a little description and review to spread the word and get more people to see this movie.
Zombieland is a 2009 zombie comedy film. It’s theme is highly similar in concept to Shawn of the Dead, however this flick is made in America. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg (also the star of “The Social Network”), Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Together they take an extended road trip in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies. Based on my not so in-depth research,
Zombieland received very positive reviews and was a commercial success. It grossed more than $60.8 million in 17 days at the box office, surpassing the Dawn of the Dead remake to become the top-grossing zombie film to date in the United States.
The film is set in a post-apocalyptic America, two months after a disease turns nearly all humans into zombies. College student “Columbus” (Jesse Eisenberg) is on his way to Columbus, Ohio to see if his parents are still alive. Along the way he encounters “Tallahassee” (Woody Harrelson), who is on a quest to find the last Twinkies on Earth. They travel together and later meet up with two con-artist sisters, “Wichita” (Emma Stone) and “Little Rock” (Abigail Breslin). After a bit of character development and car jacking, they end up traveling together to “Pacific Playland”, hoping zombies aren’t there. The rest of the plot you’ll have to find out for yourself.
This was the first movie that I saw with Jesse Eisenberg, and I think he was the perfect choice for the role he was cast into. It was also nice to see Woody Harrelson jump back on the map. The lead actress Emma Stone was a great fit for the tough yet sexy zombie-killing woman role. You may recognize her from “Superbad” or “The Rocker”. To top off the great cast, part of the movie included a cameo from Bill Murray himself. In case you’re wondering, yes, there was a reference to Ghostbusters in the movie!
A running gag, and a central theme throughout the film, is the list of rules Columbus comes up with for surviving in the zombie-infested world. Periodically they appear on the screen as 3D text when a relevant event occurs. Here are a few of my favorite ones:
1. “Cardio”
2. “Double tap”
3. “Beware of bathrooms”
31. “Check the back seat”
Most of those should be pretty self-explanatory, with the first rule popping up right when the movie starts. Remember, staying in good physical condition and keeping up your cardio will have ample benefits when the zombie apocalypse arrives.
All in all, this is a very good movie suitable for (mostly) all age groups, possibly not little kids scared of zombies. The casting and plot line are top notch, and there are some nice zombie kill moves concocted throughout the film. Oh also I should mention a killer soundtrack. The movie opens with “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica playing in the background. Anyway, if you haven’t already, go see Zombieland!
Sep 17
2010 Fall TV Show Preview
Returning Fan Favorites
The Office (NBC)
The seventh season of The Office begins this year, but more importantly, this will be the last season for Steve Carell, who plays Michael Scott on the show. Last season was very focused on Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) marriage and baby, so hopefully this season will involve a large overdose of Michael Scott. A recurring theme on the show has been Michael’s romantic life (and proceeding dramatization and failure of relationships), so fans might be hoping to see him finally find the one. The end of the last season included a reference to Holly, one of Michael’s ex-girlfriends. Hopefully that wasn’t just a teaser and she will actually be making a comeback this season. The show does plan to continue beyond this season, so it will be interesting to see the evolution of the office with the boss leaving. This season of The Office will premiere September 23rd on NBC.
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The sixth season of HIMYM begins on September 20th. Will this be the season where Ted (Josh Radnor) finally meets “the mother?” Last season the mother was revealed to be Cindy’s (Rachel Bilson) roommate. Rachel Bilson is set to return this season, so there must be some plot development for Ted, but I wouldn’t expect to meet the mother just yet. Once that information is revealed the show is essentially over, and I don’t see this show ending for at least a few more seasons. There will also be a large focus on Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel), who decided they were ready to have a baby. Personally, I’d like to see some development of Barney’s character, who is played by Neil Patrick Harris. He’s been a pretty constant source of comedy for the show and has stuck to his swinger roots, but sometimes shows a serious side, which could be expanded on this season.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
The fourth season of two genius astrophysicists living across the hall from a pretty waitress will premiere on September 23rd on CBS. The third season capped off with Raj and Howard signing Sheldon (Jim Parsons) up for online dating, at which point he met essentially what is the female version of his personality, played by Mayim Bialik. Leonard (Johnny Galecki) slept with Penny (Kaley Cuoco, aka “the pretty waitress”), but was extremely hurt to learn she regretted her actions. At Comic-Con this past July, writer Lee Aronsohn revealed Bialik would be back for the fourth season, who should be able to provide added comedy to the show and potentially grab more of a female audience for The Big Bang Theory.
Best New Shows
The Event (NBC)
What looks to be the hottest upcoming show this season is NBC’s The Event. Since the departure of Lost last season, fans will be looking for a new show to fill the void, and this might be it. The story follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter), who gets sucked into a government conspiracy involving new president Elias Martinez and a mysterious prisoner named Sophia Maguire after his girlfriend disappears. The Event could end up being very similar to last year’s FlashForward, but some good reviews and a strong yet confusingly effective marketing campaign makes me think otherwise. The Event may be the first show to tap into Lost’s unique mix of sprawling casts, convoluted mystery, and non-stop cliffhangers in an effective way. If you were a fan of Heroes, you won’t have to change much, because this show is replacing that time slot. Tune in September 20th to catch the series premiere of The Event on NBC.
Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
Why is Hawaii Five-0 on this list? I know, I know…it’s yet another cop and robbers show, and a remake at that. Well for starters, Hawaii Five-0 has caught my attention with its surprisingly strong and sci-fi heavy cast, beautiful setting, and light hearted tone. Alex O’Loughlin stars as detective Steve McGarret, a Navy lieutenant turned cop who returns to Hawaii to lead a federal task force, and also investigate his father’s murder. He’s joined by Ocean Eleven’s Scott Caan, Lost’s Daniel Dae-Kim, Battlestar Galactica’s Grace Park, and Heroes’s Masi Oka (recurring character) as fellow good guys. Quick tip if you are searching the web for this show. The old version of this show uses an “O” (oh), and the new version uses a zero. Big changes, right? Check it out Monday September 20th on CBS at 10 pm Eastern.
Questionable Fate
Chase (NBC)
Jerry Bruckheimer is at it again with the next installment in his television legacy, Chase, which will air on NBC. Chase, a one-hour procedural drama that follows a highly trained fugitive-apprehension team of U.S. Marshals. The show will feature Kelli Giddish (Past Life) and Cole Hauser (Good Will Hunting), and apparently thirteen episodes have already been shot. I honestly think this show is going to tank and will just add to the pile of shows NBC quickly cancels. The previews look terrible, and make the show out to look like 45 minutes of watching a girl run, with very bad dialog mixed in. Watch at your own risk. Chase premieres September 20th on NBC.
No Ordinary Family (ABC)
No Ordinary Family is based around the Powell family as they embark on a journey of self-discovery after surviving a terrifying plane crash. While Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis) learns that he’s become increasingly strong and seemingly invulnerable, his wife Stephanie (Julie Benz) finds herself to be faster than a speeding bullet. Their kids J.J. and Daphne also get nifty new powers as well, of course. Take Heroes, The Fantastic Four, and The Incredibles, mix well…and you get this show. This concept has been done before and didn’t work out very well, so I don’t see it lasting more than a season or two. This show premieres September 28th, so check it out Tuesdays at 8 pm on ABC if nothing else is on.
May 18
TV Series Cancellations and Renewals for 2010
Series Cancellations
“Heroes” (NBC)
The most notable show that has been canceled is NBC’s Heroes, and it’s about time. Heroes was a science fiction drama series, with emphasis on the drama. In short, the show was about ordinary people who discover extraordinary super powers, and how their newly found abilities take effect in their daily lives. There is a wide range of characters, going from those that can fly, to characters who can bend time and space, and even simple ordinary people.
Don’t get me wrong, the first two seasons of Heroes were actually very good. The episodes were full of action and suspense, and viewers kept wanting to know what would happen next. However beyond that, the writers struggled to have an underlying plan of where the show was going, and the show went downhill. Characters were killed off and continually brought back, timelines intermixed way too much, and some plot lines were simply dropped without resolution. One of the most aggravating themes was the relationship between Claire and her father Noah. It seemed every other episode they were fighting, telling each other how much they loved one another, or Claire was being “rebellious”. I think the same dialog was used about 20 times over.
Adding to their problems was a terribly boring season four. There was a severe lack of action and the introduction of some characters that were useless to the plot. The more interesting characters weren’t shown enough, and the final battle was pretty lame. Anyways, sources say the network is still leaving the door open to conclude the show with a mini-series or movie.
“FlashForward” (ABC)
The new ABC action drama FlashForward has been canceled after a 22 episode first season. The show started out strong and interesting to viewers, but throughout the season dropped down to less than half the amount of viewers as it had during the pilot. I watched the pilot and thought the show had a pretty intriguing concept to it, and somewhat thought it was going to be ABC’s replacement for Lost.
In case you still want to check out the show later on DVD, it’s based around a mysterious event that causes nearly everyone on the planet to simultaneously lose consciousness for 137 seconds. During this time people see what appear to be visions of their lives approximately six months in the future, hence the term “flashforward”. The plot follows a team of FBI agents to discover what happened and why.
“Law & Order” (NBC)
A somewhat shocking move (but one that had to be coming soon anyways) is that NBC has officially canceled “Law & Order,” concluding the show after 20 seasons. Instead of shooting for a 21st season, the original will be replaced by “Law & Order: Los Angeles”. I’ve never gotten into the show or any of the other Law & Order shows so I don’t care too much about the changes, but I’m sure some die hard fans from over the years will. Sources say that “closure opportunities” will be discussed for the show, possibly having characters from “L&O” appear on the “Los Angeles” spinoff, or even having a two-hour wrap-up movie.
“Ghost Whisperer” (CBS)
The Ghost Whisperer is a television series that follows the life of a young woman that has the ability to see and communicate with the dead. The main character, Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt), helps earthbound spirits resolve their problems and cross over into the light. The show has been officially canceled after five seasons, and I’m somewhat surprised it lasted this long.
I only saw a few episodes during it’s run, and they weren’t overly interesting or different from each other. The main reason to watch was because of Jennifer Love Hewitt (as seen by the picture on the left, click it for full size), and even that can only last for so long.
Noteworthy Renewals
“Chuck” (NBC; 13 episodes)
Chuck is an action comedy series about an average computer nerd who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working in the CIA. The message embeds the only remaining copy of the world’s greatest spy secrets into Chuck’s brain. With this information Chuck must help the government thwart assassins and terrorists. Chuck primarily works with two other agents and works at the “Buy More” in the IT department in the meantime.
This show has been renewed for a third season by NBC, consisting of 13 episodes. It’s likely this will increase to around 20 as the season gets closer. I’ve seen the show a few times and I don’t see any reasons why it should have even been on the bubble to be renewed or not. Chuck has an original plot with well scripted characters. The lead actress is very good looking (photo on the right, click for full size), and I’ve seen Jordana Brewster do some cameo work, which is awesome. The theme song for the show is Short Skirt/Long Jacket by Cake, just adding to show’s plus side. Chuck is a relaxing show to watch and is a nice change from all of the cop investigation or doctor shows that are out there (not to mention reality shows).
“V” (ABC; 13 episodes)
The rookie sci-fi show, V, has been renewed by ABC for a second season in the fall. V is a re-creation of the 1983 miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson. This show depicts the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species which appears to come in peace, but actually has darker underlying motives. “V” stands for the “Visitors”, who claim to only need a small amount of Earth’s resources, in exchange for sharing their advanced technological and medical knowledge.
I saw two full episodes of this show and it does seem like it could have a future, but I don’t think it will grab nearly as many viewers as ABC hopes for. If there are any redeeming qualities of the show, it’s that Morena Baccarin from Firefly and Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost are in it. Alan Tudyk from Firefly was also in a few episodes, but that didn’t last.
“Human Target” (FOX)
Human Target is based around a unique private contractor that protects his clients by integrating himself into their lives, to become the “human target.” The series started this January and had a good run of 12 episodes. As of yesterday it has been confirmed for a second season. Personally I have only seen one episode of this show so far, but it seemed fairly interesting. With “24″ wrapping up this year for Fox, Human Target is basically 24′s replacement.
For a full list of renewals, cancellations, and new shows being picked up, go to livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com.
Feb 04
Final Season of Lost Begins
The final season of Lost premiered two days ago on February 2nd with a two hour long double episode. In case you somehow don’t know what Lost is…it’s an action/mystery/drama on ABC based around a group of plane crash survivors on a mysterious island. The show is known for its continual cliffhangers and very “out there” ideas. This is the start of the sixth and final season, and audiences are looking to finally get some answers.
After watching the season premiere I was pretty satisfied, and excited about what was to come the rest of the season. The next day my dorm neighbor sent me the Lost picture that is in comic style fashion on the right of this post. I personally found this pretty hilarious, and I think any true Lost fan would as well, however if you don’t really follow the show it’s pretty hard to appreciate, so let me explain a bit.
The two characters shown in the comic are the main two actors of the series. The first shown is Jack, and the second is Locke. Jack has been the heroic leader of the survivors and typically the focal point of the show. Locke came to the island in a wheelchair, and can suddenly walk when he wakes up on the beach. He also is quite a knife fanatic and hunter, etc etc.
If you’ve seen Avatar and all of its unoriginal blueness then it’s pretty clear that the character of Locke and his background was picked right out of Lost and put into Avatar, with a facial makeover. I’m not saying I’m mad about Avatar’s choice because the character worked out well being in a wheelchair and then being able to take on a new life as the Avatar. However it does add yet another tally to the amount of ideas the movie is accused of ripping off of. Those being Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas, FernGully, The Matrix, etc.
