Shakespeare High School

This was a fun little documentary on groups of high school students from varying socio-economic levels, participating in a Shakespeare festival.The could have groups of about six students and had to perform 8 minute scenes. I was expecting something a little bit more from it. You don't get to see any full performances which I would have liked. I did like the fact that the competition did not allow for costumes and the only set they were allowed were two chairs. This fact made it possible for students from lower socio-economic areas were able to participate. Surprisingly, the documentary showed students from varying economic levels. One school had former gang members while another was an all girl school.

The commentary from actors who competed in the competition, including Kevin Spacey and Val Kilmer helped to fill the time.

Overall, it was an interesting documentary but not ground breaking.

Primeval: New World (Episodes 1-8)

 I suppose it was only a matter of time before I started watching Canadian television, I guess I was just waiting for the right show and Sanctuary wasn't it. I knew that the Canadian channel Space was planning on a spin-off of the UK show Primeval but I hadn't realized it had come to fruition. What's more, I didn't realize Naill Matter who I loved on Eureka had been cast in the lead role. There were more than enough reasons to watch it and I just hoped for the best, that it could live up to its predecessor.

After watching the first eight episodes I have mixed feelings. I do have to give it props for being a spin-off of another country's show instead of just remaking it like they would and have in the US. The Canadians scored some major points on that score. This series is set in the same world as the UK show and Connor (Andrew Lee Potts) does a guest appearance in the first episode in a way handing the series off to his Vancouver counterpart. I think the show needed that but could have pushed it a bit more which they may do in future episodes to really cement the connection between the two shows. Without the connection to the original, the show seems more of a rehashing. In the UK series, anomalies where starting to occur everywhere and it seems a little odd that just now people are discovering them in Vancouver. We see Evan Cross working out how to alert them to an anomaly and how to find them but not at cleverly as the UK show did. It's almost as if Evan is suppose to be smarted than Connor which I don't quite believe.

Curiously, both series start off with the loss of the main character's wife which I suppose works as a good motivational tool to start the plot off. We eventually learn more about Evan Cross' first encounter in the eighth episode which also sheds light on quite a few mysteries that we had been leading up to until that point. Evan quickly gathers his team of an animal control chick and possible love interest, computer whiz, Indian-Brit security guard, annoying CFO and also possible love interest and a government spook who he doesn't quite like. With the team assemble let the dinosaur hunting begin!

Dinosaurs are a major part of anomaly infractions which is nice compared to the UK show which got more creative as the series progressed. Primeval: New World has had a bug episode and a basilisk episode but their creatures have mainly been dinosaurs. There are differences in the CGI work but surprisingly it isn't as distracting. The creatures still look amazing and the only real difference is the anomalies which look slightly different. The original anomalies look more like shards of glass compared to big balls of light with slight shard-like pieces towards the edges. This doesn't detract from the viewing pleasure as much as I would have thought.

What doesn't quite fit for me is the location. The show is set in Vancouver but we only get a mention of it once that I recall and we don't get any onscreen indication of where an anomaly is opening like we did in the UK show. The nondescript location might be working against the show because so many television shows and films are filmed there but set elsewhere. The show is missing a locality. Not that I would know of any of the places they could name it would give me a better sense of the world.

Primeval: New World lacks the charm of the original series. It is harder to fall in love with these characters than it was to fall for the original characters. You learn to like them but there's too much back and forth for me to really commit to these characters. I love Evan Cross but it might have more to do with the fact that I love Naill Matter. This role is similar to his role in Eureka. He's super smart and a bit of a bad boy but there is a vulnerability to him that I enjoy watching. He has some emotional scenes and isn't as snarky. The supporting cast is okay but lacks some heart. Leeds is a dark horse. This show is missing a Lester which Leeds cannot compete with. As more is discovered about the ARC I wonder if it will create an office in Vancouver in future episodes or if they'll continue down this project magnet road they have going with Leeds.

There also appears to be a subtle love triangle that begins and then ends, I don't know it's weird. Evan's wife dies so he's in mourning and has been for some time. He has his CFO Ange who is clearly interested in him. What is weird is because you know she likes him but you think that he's going to go with Dylan the animal control chick he recruits but then he starts up with Ange which goes against the expectations of the viewing audience. What's more is then the show takes a horrible turn to reinforce the relationship between Evan and Ange. It was like they thought the audience wasn't going to buy the relationship. They put Ange in skin tight workout pants and low top and send her on an anomaly chase with Dylan who is wearing a turtle neck. It was blatantly obvious who had the sex appeal in that episode especially since Dylan usually wears regular shirts.

I struggled to stay connected with the show throughout its first eight episodes because you would have one really great episode that would propel you into the next episode which would be a disappointment. Of course I was always comparing it to the original which didn't help because it could never quite reach the standard the UK show had set. This series is far more gory than the UK series. There are a lot more victims who are only half eaten and I miss the days where unsuspecting victims were swallowed whole.

Still I think the show has something and as mysteries start to unravel the show will come into its own.

Lincoln

When I went to see Lincoln, I thought, as the title suggests, that the film was going to be about the President, but it wasn't. The Thirteenth Amendment would have served as a better title, as the film focused on Lincoln's efforts to pass this amendment at the end of the Civil War. My problems with the film don't stop at the title. Although I like the camera work the color palette of the film was drab at best. Lots of grays and browns which serve its purpose I suppose to recreate the time period but it made it less pleasing to the eye than it could have been. The plot was the main problem source. The film didn't seem to know where it was going or at least that's how I felt while watching it. Lincoln didn't even get to say his Gettysburg address but had it recited to him. It took a while to get to the main point of the film and there were too many tangents along the way to result in a coherent film.

The one saving grace was the great actors who never seemed to stop coming. I knew Daniel Day Lewis was going to be amazing as always but I didn't realize who else was in it. This was a good role for Tommy Lee Jones and his character, especially the final reveal at the end of the film which added a nice little twist. James Spader, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Strathairn were all good but I really enjoyed Lee Pace even though he was a "bad guy." It was such a different role for him compared with Pushing Daisies.

I might have enjoyed the film and not have found so much fault in it had I been in a better mood. Someone in the audience were clapping and cheering on the house members as they voted to end slavery - as if they thought it was never passed or was in danger of not being passed. It'll still get Oscar nods so I guess Spielberg did his job.

Downton Abbey

I had been putting off seeing Downtown Abbey for quite some time. The majority of friends were shocked when they found out because of my love of British television but the show seemed like such an undertaking. A period drama that I too often got confused with the reboot of Upstairs Downstairs which has an actress I'm particularly fond of so I put it off. Finally I decided it was time and sat down to the first series.

I watched the first series all in one go and I refused to go to bed until I got to the end. That was on Thursday and now I'm ready for the third series. Needless to say I absolutely in love with the show, however, I'm not sure I understand why the American viewing public has taken such a shine to it. It is after all a slow drama about the decline of the British class system. I find it interesting that Americans are loving this show when our television are filled with stuff like The Simpsons and CSI: wherever. I'm glad for it but it's still curious.

The music was what caught me at first and from the first note of the opening score I knew it was going to be a good show. The music sets the tone of the show beautifully and really works at telling the story of the show through music and the music is helped by the costume, set design and cinematography. The show is beautifully shot and has rightly been nominated and won several awards for its cinematography. I love the costumes as well and the subtle changes as time has progressed forward in the show. This is pretty much my favorite time period so it is lovely to see. Time moves rather strangely in this show, which is another reason why I'm so surprised at Americans liking it so much. The show moves slowly and not a lot happens if you look at the timeline of the show but that in no way detracts from the show. In fact I liked how they delineated time.The series does span a lot of time, more in the second series than the first.

Of course, it wouldn't be a stand out show without a stand out plot. The first episode opens with a telegraph message with the clearly distressing news about the sinking of the Titanic. At first I had no idea what was going on because I hadn't thought anything of the date. Once you realize what the news is, telling the audience at the beginning that the it was April 1912 was very clever. It was also interesting to see the response to the news from people who knew people on the ship. More often, when the Titanic is mentioned on screen it is because it's the main focus. Usually we, the audience goes down with the ship instead of hearing the news second hand. The writing is extremely superb. You get a feel of how life would be without getting to bogged down in details and characters are flushed out quickly.

The characters are what makes the show and there are so many here to enjoy from both classes. Maggie Smith steals every scene she is in. She always has a witty line to deliver. I love all the American jokes she says. I'm not a huge fan of Thomas or O'Brien but I've grown to like them at least a bit. Thomas over his vulnerability in the war. I like each of the daughters although Mary took some work in order to like. I love Sybil and Branson who are possibly my favorite couple, followed by Mary and Matthew who have finally got together. Anna is my favorite servant although Carson has just as much witticism as Maggie Smith. I like Bates but his story has gotten rather complicated with him being in jail and everything.

The parts during the war were the hardest to watch, especially Thomas freaking out and getting himself shot. I never felt like I knew William enough to feel bad when he died. He was very naive and so I felt more sorry for him. He did go gallantly.

I don't have much to complain about in the show except I can't get enough of it fast enough! Even the characters I don't like I start to like because I know they add something to the story. Thomas continues to make mistakes after mistakes but I'm beginning to find it enjoyable watching how he gets out of it. All in all this is my new favorite show and I might even give Upstairs Downstairs a chance.

Charmed

In time for my 100th post, I finally finished all eight seasons of Charmed! It has been a long journey, which for me started back in March of 2011. I've watched it off and on since then taking a break when Prue leaves and then Cole. The show went through a lot of up and downs. Throughout the show's run, my favorite sister alternated between Pheobe and Piper and it probably had to do with who Pheobe was dating and the state of Piper and Leo's relationship. Seasons 6, 7 and even 8 were a little hard to watch. I am a romantic at heart so I was tired of Piper and Leo constantly being broken up. They were sort of the Ross and Rachel of the show and they could never be happy and it got old after a while. The whole storyline of Leo becoming an Elder and then an Avatar was horrendous. It was just another obstacle to put between him and Piper and one with serious fashion mishaps. I mean those robes! After he was finished with the Elder and Avatar personalities, and his insanity he goes back to being mortal. I'm not so sure I enjoyed that. He played such a role as the Charmed one's Whitelighter, being able to heal them and get information. Once he became a mortal his role was almost obsolete - which again caused problems for him and Piper. He was given the run-around which zaps the energy out of the show.

And then there's Cole.

I absolutely loved Cole. I was all about Cole and Pheobe, but again their relationship got too convoluted. The whole Source storyline of the 4th season made me want to stop watching. Cole's constant struggle between good and evil was tiresome. At the beginning you were hopeful, when you thought maybe he could overcome his evil, demonic side but the show used too many soap opera tricks to make it clear that Cole could never truly be good. In season 5, after coming back from the wasteland to win Pheobe back my romantic heart flared up again. Here was a man driven by love and although he was most certainty evil, he was trying. I just think the show tried to hold on to him for too long. He should have died for good when he essentially tried to commit suicide by provoking the sisters to attack. It was such a beautiful gesture and would have been perfect but no, the show just had to screw it up and cause his character to go insane. From then on his character took a turn for the worst and his final death was anti-climatic.

After Cole, Pheobe had a succession of lovers, including McSteamy himself! I enjoyed seeing Eric Dane so young and wished he had stuck around a bit a longer. Nick Lachey was fun as was Jason Lewis (who would later been seen in Sex in the City. Ironically Charmed did a Sex in the City themed episode which he was in but it was the worst Charmed episode). Billy Zane was a hoot. I only know him as the bad guy from Titanic so it was great seeing him in such a fun loving role. And the connection between Zane's character and Cole made me happy. Although Zane was close to holding a candle against Cole, the closet was Victor Webster as Coop the Cupid. It must have something to do with the fact that all three men are tall and have dark hair and brooding looks. I just wish we had seen more of Coop in season 8. It was a shame he was kind of just thrown in there to create a happy ending for the finale. The last four episodes are all geared towards the final battle which unfortunately takes away from the budding romance between Pheobe and Coop. I wish there was more of Coop. It was too short of an introduction for a character. I did enjoy the bit where future Wyatt addresses him as Uncle Coop.

That brings me to the Charmed children, Chris and Wyatt. When Chris first came on the show I was sure if he was a good guy or a bad guy. The show did a good job on disguising his identity although I had an inkling of who he was. I was upset at him for making Leo an elder but I got used to him and enjoyed him. In fact when I saw his name in the credits in season 8 I was excited. They really missed an opportunity of a spin-off show with Chris and Wyatt. That would be something I would be interested in seeing. Having Chris and Wyatt as children runs the risk every show has that involves children, they are often forgotten or shipped off somewhere so the main story could proceed without any baggage. This became a bit of a noticeable problem.

Once future Chris left then they brought in Billie who was not as entertaining as Chris. I don't really know where here character came from. Now having seen everything it makes sense but at the beginning she's an annoying witch. She was too easily manipulated for my tastes. Her character created an opportunity to give the Charmed Ones a reprieve as they adopted new identities. That storyline lasted way too long and was just ridiculous. It was more like they needed an answer on how they could extend the season 22 episodes. Although I'm glad the ending of Charmed was not them taking on new identities and that they ended with the season 8 finale where everyone is happy and old with lots of children.

All that is left are the two other Halliwell sisters, Prue and Paige. It's been such a long time since season three with Prue. I knew she would be leaving the show because I remember hearing the news when it was actually airing so I was prepared for it. Still, it was hard to get used to a new sister. I didn't like Paige at first but I grew to like her. Although she's the same age as Piper in real life she looks a lot younger and wore a lot less clothes. They could have done worse with Prue's replacement.

Since I've touched on the other sister's love lives. I might as well talk about Paige's, especially because her final man, Henry was a lot like Coop in fact that we didn't get to know him all that well before they said I do. Again they were thrown together and I could never tell whether or not Paige really loved him. Maybe they just didn't have good chemistry and that's why I didn't much care for him. I preferred Richard or Agent Brody. 

Charmed was a great show even with its missteps and it provided a voice for women on television which is so often lacking and became the longest running one-hour drama to have the main cast led by women which is quite the achievement. With Charmed there has been a perception that there was a rivalry between Charmed and Buffy, one which Charmed never quite lived up to. Now that I've seen both in full I think I enjoyed Charmed more because there was more variety; a new demon every week vs. just another vampire. There was more character development that made sense and I was emotionally invested in the characters of Charmed over Buffy. It didn't hurt that Charmed had a nice and neat closure to the series which I greatly appreciated. Of course, watching it now, I think I can identify with the characters better then if I had seen it when it originally aired. For me, coming to the end of Charmed was bittersweet, saying goodbye to characters I had grown to know. Although I was glad to finally reach the end, it will be weird to not watch Charmed now after cramming eight years of the character's lives into nearly two years of mine. 

Even writing this blog post I'm having trouble letting go but I am consoled in the fact that the battle between good and evil will always be safe in the hands of the Charmed ones and I can always return to the power of three through DVD.

The Fat Quiz of the Year (00's, 90's, 80's and 2012)

It's that time of year again where British comedians gather to make jokes about the happenings of the past year. As I waited for The Big  Fat Quiz of 2012 to appear for my viewing pleasure I checked out The Big Fat Quiz of the 00's, 90's and 80's which had been broadcast back in September but which I had unfortunately not been aware of at the time.

These decade shows were a good way to past the time. I missed having the team names in both the 90s and 80s. I know the team names are only introduced at the start of the show but when you have Richard Ayoade and Noel Fielding coming up with Hot Shame and the Indoor Kites it's worth the giggle. Like always, they were a good team.

I enjoyed the guest in the 90s show which included Alan Davies, Dara O'Briain and Jack Whitehall. Whitehall was a fun addition because we're close to the same age so I connected with his excitement over certain things like Bewitched. O'Briain's miming and accents made for enjoyable moments. It was funny but not quite memorable. The 80s show was not something I was looking forward to because I cannot stand Micky Flanagan. I don't think he is funny. In fact, I find his material cringe worthy. However, I found him the slightest bit humorous in this show. He had his moments. 

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2012, was, I have to say, a bit saucier than usual, not that I didn't enjoy it any less.

The show has even garnered attacks from The Daily Mail, although I don't think that's really hard to do.

It seems like people are specially upset with Jack Whitehall because his jokes were so out of character and I kind of felt like Whitehall was putting on this air of lewdness especially compared with his performance in the Big Fat Quiz of the 90s. His was completely embarrassed by his answer to the Obama question.  Whitehall and James Corden were quite the pair. Getting the pizza delivered and drinking a bottle of wine each was very frat boy, but seeing Jimmy Carr a bit confused at what was happening was quite the achievement given the fact that Noel Fielding wasn't on the show.

That was what was missing for me, the fact that Noel Fielding wasn't there. Richard Ayoade tried his best but unfortunately this year was partnered with a know-it in Gabby Logan. As a fan of the show I'm used to Ayoade giving absurd answers which he did but it wasn't as enjoyable with the dead weight of Logan. I almost feel like they should have switched Logan with Howard. Although Howard and Ross where a good team and gelled well together.

Really the highlight of the show was Charles Dance reading an excerpt from 50 Shades of Grey.

The Back-up Plan

I had been looking forward to seeing this film ever since I saw the trailer but maybe I didn't even need to see the trailer just see who was in it. I love Jennifer Lopez' work, her romantic comedies are great but the draw for me was Alex O'Loughin who I have loved since Moonlight. It was nice to see him in a feature film as a leading man. Although, because I had so much expectations for this film, I had a long way to fall and this of course was the second of two films I bought without seeing first which always adds in a second danger. Unlike Magic Mike, The Back-up Plan did not disappoint. It was fabulous!

A tried and true formula of boy meets girl with a bit of a modern twist. I am in no way arguing for the originality of the film but merely suggesting it doesn't hamper the viewing experience at all. It was funny. Really that is the most important bit of a romantic comedy. Besides for The Break Up, you know how the film is going to end and no matter the trails and tribulations the couple goes through they will end up happily ever after. What you have to work with to make the romantic comedy stand out in the sea of Rom-Coms is the comedy bit. I haven't laugh out loud that much in a long time while watching a Rom-Com. It was so funny and Jennifer Lopez had perfect timing.

This scene was perhaps my favorite and it was Lopez that really drove the comedy in the film. O'Loughlin was more of the straight man but they worked together well and had decent chemistry. A minor problem I had with the film was the supporting cast. I crazed single mother group is a little overdone but somehow recently the reaction to women giving birth has become a comedic device. Lopez's pet shop friends were not fleshed out enough to add anything substantial. The guy she asks to be the sperm donor ended up in love with her without ever really pushing that throughout the film so at the end you're left with a weird feeling as he looks on at the couple's engagement. Some of the deleted scenes helped with his character arc but it was something not needed and just complicated the otherwise fun film. Lopez's friend who already had four kids added something and more time should have just been focused on her. O'Loughlin's side character of the playground Dad, played brilliantly by Anthony Anderson was needed and I even wanted a bit more of them together. I'll concede that it was a bit of a cliche but it worked; plus Anderson worked the comedy bit which was needed while Lopez wasn't onscreen.

There were some awkward moments of trying to get their relationship on the fast track - case in point the cheese barn - but because I had such a great time watching it, these moments in my mind, can be overlooked.

Magic Mike

After the disastrous results of Sexy Beast, where I bought the film based on the trailer before ever having seen it, I promised myself never to buy a film I hadn't seen again. I broke my promise this past weekend as I spent the Christmas money I was given on not one but two films I had not seen before.

Magic Mike one of the two films (the other being The Back Up Plan) was not as disastrous as Sexy Beast but I don't know if it was good enough to buy. My consolation is that the price of buying the DVD which I get to keep forever was the same price as buying a one-time theater ticket. Unfortunately, I fear, much like Sexy Beast that the best parts of Magic Mike were in the trailer.

The film was not what I was expecting and it felt like two different films were trying to be put together. It was both slow and fast and grainy and smooth. I felt like the film struggled with putting a story together around male strippers which had successfully been done with The Full Monty. The Full Monty may have been missing the eye candy and dance moves that Magic Mike had but it had a good story that kept you interested the entire film. Magic Mike on the other hand felt more like the filmmakers were obsessed with the idea of making a film about male strippers but did not know how to put it together. Steven Soderbergh's films for me are a mixed bag - you have the good ones like The Ocean Films and Erin Brockovitch and then you have the bad ones like Traffic and Solaris. Magic Mike is kind of a mix of both the good and the bad.

The dance scenes where obviously the best parts of the movie and was really the selling point of the film, however, the dance scenes were few and far between as the film focused more on the lifestyle outside the club. Drugs, drinking and women all done with no soundtrack which was highly unnerving. The lack of soundtrack I think was the main detracting point. The film was quite boring at these points and as an audience you were not invested in the plot at all. You knew from that start that the money Mike had saved would be used to bail the brother out somehow allowing Mike to get with the sister and that Mike would break from the club. I wanted to break away from these nitty gritty moments of reality and retreat to the dance scenes which were highly stylized, at least compared with the rest of the film. There was lights, music and lets face it, lots of eye candy. Although I saw way more of Matthew McConaughey then I ever bargained for.

Overall Magic Mike was a disappointment. The dancing was good but I guess if I want to see Channing Tatum dance I'll watch Step Up instead.