"No matter what I do, the ones I love will be the ones who pay." - Curtis
Yes, Curtis stole the line from Spider-Man but it works in ending his relationship with Sam, and it turns out to be somewhat true in the end. Simon doesn't love Sally, but he cares about her in his own creepy way, and yet because of his powers he unwittingly takes part in her demise.
(Uh, spoilers.)
(Also, yes, I've been watching Misfits on Hulu this summer but I haven't been discussing each episode.)
That segues into the big question the episode presents: is Simon a villain?
If any of the main group of Misfits was pegged to fit the archetype of "supervillain" it's Simon, although the show has avoided common tropes thus far in making any of its protagonists actual superheroes. He's a loner, he's the most genuinely antisocial of the group, Nathan picks on him all the time, and he just plain acts weird (I'd love to see him in a British television stare-off with Ruth Wilson from Luther). Like the rest of the misfits, he's covered up two deaths, so he's already on the fast-track to villainy.
But hold on a second. He's also a disturbed kid who could use a little therapy and a few good friends. He's been manipulated by Sally the entire time. And he didn't really mean to kill her, right? Right? Let's not even get into Sally, whose personal quest for justice crossed a whole ton of boundaries.
It's this kind of moral relativism that sets Misfits apart from, say, Spider-Man. I'm sure that the majority of the fans would like to see the series subvert the typical origin story in that the protagonists are all juvies (not an exact equivalent but close enough). Instead, it subverts the genre by not having anyone do anything remotely heroic. Curtis tries in the fourth episode, but by trying to fix his mistakes he ends up juggling girlfriends as an unforeseen consequence. Nathan isn't Peter Parker (thank God) and Simon isn't the Green Goblin. They're all just messed-up people who got thrown into an even more messed-up situation and they're having a hard time coping.
The first season is only six episodes long, so perhaps in the finale the show takes a sharp left turn and tries to become Heroes although it's extremely unlikely. There's only one cliffhanger; the other storylines are fairly stable at the moment, save for the inevitable part where Nathan and Kelly hook up, but that's hardly a game changer. Misfits inhabits some nebulous grey area between dramedy and genre show, and arguably if not for Nathan it would be a straight drama. I'm not sure what Misfits' game is but I want to know where it's heading.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The unexpected nerd cred of De Palma's The Black Dahlia
I recently finished James Ellroy's The Black Dahlia. Since I'm a glutton for punishment and it was on Netflix Watch Instantly, I checked out the reviled 2006 Brian DePalma film adaptation.
About the film's content, there's little new to say. The novel was already incomprehensibly plotted in the second half, and while some plot lines were mercifully condensed, the finished version of the film is an hour shorter than the initial edit. Virtually everyone but Aaron Eckhart and Mia Kirshner was miscast (and even Kirshner was nearly ten years too old to play the title character). Because it's a De Palma picture it looks fantastic, but it's still a fairly lousy movie. Granted, it's hard to objectively consider a film when you've just finished reading the source material.
But what's really amusing about The Black Dahlia is its unexpected geek connections. Consider:
- One of the major plot points in the novel and the film is a painting of Gwynplaine, the main character in Victor Hugo's novel The Man Who Laughs. You probably haven't read the book or seen the 1928 film adaptation, but you know what Gwynplaine looks like: he's the visual inspiration for The Joker. Coincidentally, two years after The Black Dahlia's release, Aaron Eckhart would appear as Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, alongside Heath Ledger as The Joker.
- Screenwriter Josh Friedman created the (underrated) Fox series Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles, and helped meme-ify Snakes on a Plane.
- Fiona Shaw, who played Ramona Linscott, is better known as Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films.
- Patrick Fischler, who played Ellis Leow, was a member of the Dharma Initiative on Lost. You know, the guy who wasn't Horace Goodspeed or Radzinsky.
While not explicitly geeky, it's also worth noting that veteran character actor Mike Starr (you probably know him from Dumb and Dumber or the NBC show Ed) has a supporting role, and the Dahlia herself, Mia Kirshner, was Naked Mandy in 24. But it's funny that you can find nerdiness even in a place like crime noir.
About the film's content, there's little new to say. The novel was already incomprehensibly plotted in the second half, and while some plot lines were mercifully condensed, the finished version of the film is an hour shorter than the initial edit. Virtually everyone but Aaron Eckhart and Mia Kirshner was miscast (and even Kirshner was nearly ten years too old to play the title character). Because it's a De Palma picture it looks fantastic, but it's still a fairly lousy movie. Granted, it's hard to objectively consider a film when you've just finished reading the source material.
But what's really amusing about The Black Dahlia is its unexpected geek connections. Consider:
- One of the major plot points in the novel and the film is a painting of Gwynplaine, the main character in Victor Hugo's novel The Man Who Laughs. You probably haven't read the book or seen the 1928 film adaptation, but you know what Gwynplaine looks like: he's the visual inspiration for The Joker. Coincidentally, two years after The Black Dahlia's release, Aaron Eckhart would appear as Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, alongside Heath Ledger as The Joker.
- Screenwriter Josh Friedman created the (underrated) Fox series Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles, and helped meme-ify Snakes on a Plane.
- Fiona Shaw, who played Ramona Linscott, is better known as Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films.
- Patrick Fischler, who played Ellis Leow, was a member of the Dharma Initiative on Lost. You know, the guy who wasn't Horace Goodspeed or Radzinsky.
While not explicitly geeky, it's also worth noting that veteran character actor Mike Starr (you probably know him from Dumb and Dumber or the NBC show Ed) has a supporting role, and the Dahlia herself, Mia Kirshner, was Naked Mandy in 24. But it's funny that you can find nerdiness even in a place like crime noir.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Let's talk about Thor.
I know zip about Thor. He's not one of the more popular Marvel characters, and Norse gods don't get the pub that Greek or Roman gods do. The lack of name-brand recognition is a bit of a liability for a tentpole release in the current studio system, but it's also a benefit. With each new Batman franchise, whether on film or television, the audience brings a new set of preconceived notions into the viewing. Thor, in Kenneth Branagh's new film, is a blank slate: who is this guy?
Well, he's an alien. A superpowered being from a faraway planet, which totally explains why in Thor everyone has a British accent and Idris Elba is a deity from the Norse pantheon (I guess Marcus Samuelsson wasn't answering his phone when the casting director called). Heimdall isn't a black Norseman, he's a black alien who happened to be worshiped by Norsemen! Makes sense, right? But seriously, between this and How to Train Your Dragon, where the Vikings are voiced by Scots and Americans, Scandinavians are getting the shaft. And now the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an American? Low blow.
As played by Chris Hemsworth, Thor is more than just the Norse god of P90X, he's a good-natured hunk, commanding and noble in Asgard and charmingly out of his element on Earth. He may not know the etiquette of eating breakfast at the corner diner, but he'll kiss ladies on the hand. After suffering through movies with moribund Sam Worthingtons, it's nice to see a jock with charisma. The romance between Thor and Natalie Portman's astrophysicist is barely developed, of course, but nobody watches these movies for the love stories. Side note: why pursue Portman when Kat Dennings is right there? It's like passing up Joan Holloway for Betty Draper. Friends don't let Norse gods pick up skinny chicks.
Thor is chilling in New Mexico because his father Odin, king of Asgard, banished him for his impetuousness. Anthony Hopkins is suitably regal as Odin, and Asgard looks fantastic. The design of the otherworldly kingdom is composed with a stunning visual palette, and is doubly impressive when compared to the look of Green Lantern, which makes me flinch whenever I see an ad for it.
In terms of plot, Thor is a combination of a two familiar stories, the comic book hero origin story, and a tale of a brash warrior's redemption. It's nothing new, but it's told well (credit Branagh on this one). When Thor is finally worthy enough to wield his hammer and kick ass again, you'll think "hell yeah."
Rounding out the cast are Stellan Skarsgard as an avuncular scientist, Tom Hiddleston as the shifty god Loki, and Ray Stevenson as a husky Asgardian warrior. They perform admirably. My only real complaint is that Idris Elba isn't allowed to be more awesome.
Thor won't go in the Marvel film pantheon alongside Iron Man or X2 but it's a solid, good-looking, fun time at the movies. It may in practice be no more than an extended prequel to the upcoming Avengers movie (the Jeremy Renner cameo is useless and the post-credits stinger falls flat), but it stands on its own.
Well, he's an alien. A superpowered being from a faraway planet, which totally explains why in Thor everyone has a British accent and Idris Elba is a deity from the Norse pantheon (I guess Marcus Samuelsson wasn't answering his phone when the casting director called). Heimdall isn't a black Norseman, he's a black alien who happened to be worshiped by Norsemen! Makes sense, right? But seriously, between this and How to Train Your Dragon, where the Vikings are voiced by Scots and Americans, Scandinavians are getting the shaft. And now the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an American? Low blow.
As played by Chris Hemsworth, Thor is more than just the Norse god of P90X, he's a good-natured hunk, commanding and noble in Asgard and charmingly out of his element on Earth. He may not know the etiquette of eating breakfast at the corner diner, but he'll kiss ladies on the hand. After suffering through movies with moribund Sam Worthingtons, it's nice to see a jock with charisma. The romance between Thor and Natalie Portman's astrophysicist is barely developed, of course, but nobody watches these movies for the love stories. Side note: why pursue Portman when Kat Dennings is right there? It's like passing up Joan Holloway for Betty Draper. Friends don't let Norse gods pick up skinny chicks.
Thor is chilling in New Mexico because his father Odin, king of Asgard, banished him for his impetuousness. Anthony Hopkins is suitably regal as Odin, and Asgard looks fantastic. The design of the otherworldly kingdom is composed with a stunning visual palette, and is doubly impressive when compared to the look of Green Lantern, which makes me flinch whenever I see an ad for it.
In terms of plot, Thor is a combination of a two familiar stories, the comic book hero origin story, and a tale of a brash warrior's redemption. It's nothing new, but it's told well (credit Branagh on this one). When Thor is finally worthy enough to wield his hammer and kick ass again, you'll think "hell yeah."
Rounding out the cast are Stellan Skarsgard as an avuncular scientist, Tom Hiddleston as the shifty god Loki, and Ray Stevenson as a husky Asgardian warrior. They perform admirably. My only real complaint is that Idris Elba isn't allowed to be more awesome.
Thor won't go in the Marvel film pantheon alongside Iron Man or X2 but it's a solid, good-looking, fun time at the movies. It may in practice be no more than an extended prequel to the upcoming Avengers movie (the Jeremy Renner cameo is useless and the post-credits stinger falls flat), but it stands on its own.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
How good is this?
In which I talk about some things I've really liked lately.
1. The Hunger Games
How good is this book? Suzanne Collins' dystopian YA novel is conceptually nothing more than The Running Man meets Battle Royale (a movie where the concept far outshines the execution, incidentally). What it lacks in originally it makes up for in worldbuilding, characterization, and pacing. Collins zips through the story with breakneck speed; sometimes the novel seems to go by too fast, but by the time the Hunger Games start I was too busy reading to see what happens next to care. The first-person perspective prevents all characters but protagonist Katniss from getting the fleshing-out they deserve, but even then there are a few character deaths that I felt remorse over. And while the plot by necessity requires Katniss to be occasionally submissive and passive, she's thankfully no Bella Swan (in my dreams, Katniss treats Bella like a pincushion). Even a forced love interest, which caused me to initially roll my eyes, eventually makes sense within the narrative. Collins' prose is appropriately spartan for the audience and the tone, all the better to make me want to mainline the other two books in the series.
And since the film adaptation is currently being casted, let me play armchair director for a second. I get why Jennifer Lawrence was chosen to be Katniss after her role in Winter's Bone, but there's no reason Hailee Steinfeld shouldn't have been cast (okay, there is, but not from an artistic standpoint). Ironically, Lawrence would make a great Glimmer. Several fans have claimed that Amy Poehler would make a great Effie Trinket and I have to agree. As for Haymitch, there's a whole laundry list of old tough bastard character actors to choose from: Ray Winstone, Ray Stevenson, Ron Perlman, etc. For some reason, I'm picturing Matthew Morrison as Cinna. And there has to be room for Chloe Moretz somewhere, for God's sakes - Foxface, perhaps?
(On even more of a tangent, my all-time unrequited bit of fantasy casting was Ludivine Sagnier as Fleur Delacour for the Harry Potter series, but did Hollywood listen? Nooooooo.)
2. Sons of Anarchy: "Balm"
How good was this episode? I've been burning through the second season of Sons now that it's newly on Netflix Instant Viewing, and it hasn't disappointed. But "Balm" takes the series to a whole new level. The scene at the end with Jax, Clay, Tara, and Gemma made me a little misty eyed - something The Wire never even accomplished. In fact, the entire ending montage is powerful, which is saying something for a series that specializes in ending montages. The moment with Tig flipped out on shrooms and crying his eyes out is hilarious until you realize why he's crying, and then it crashes into poignancy. Brilliant.
3. SyFy's decision to re-air Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
How good is this decision? I'll go to the mat for T:SCC; it was one of the most underrated shows of the past few years. I doubt I'll be re-watching most of it, since it is airing during the highly competitive Thursday night slot, but hopefully sci-fi geeks who missed it the first time will find it.
4. The current season of Archer
How good has this season been? "Placebo Effect" was one of the funniest episodes of any show this year, and "El Secuestro" had me oddly attracted to Pam (more importantly, it was an outstanding showcase for voice actress Amber Nash). Giving Krieger and Gillette more to do this season has also paid extraordinary dividends. And all of this praise takes for granted H Jon Benjamin's work as Sterling Archer, the funniest douchebag on television.
1. The Hunger Games
How good is this book? Suzanne Collins' dystopian YA novel is conceptually nothing more than The Running Man meets Battle Royale (a movie where the concept far outshines the execution, incidentally). What it lacks in originally it makes up for in worldbuilding, characterization, and pacing. Collins zips through the story with breakneck speed; sometimes the novel seems to go by too fast, but by the time the Hunger Games start I was too busy reading to see what happens next to care. The first-person perspective prevents all characters but protagonist Katniss from getting the fleshing-out they deserve, but even then there are a few character deaths that I felt remorse over. And while the plot by necessity requires Katniss to be occasionally submissive and passive, she's thankfully no Bella Swan (in my dreams, Katniss treats Bella like a pincushion). Even a forced love interest, which caused me to initially roll my eyes, eventually makes sense within the narrative. Collins' prose is appropriately spartan for the audience and the tone, all the better to make me want to mainline the other two books in the series.
And since the film adaptation is currently being casted, let me play armchair director for a second. I get why Jennifer Lawrence was chosen to be Katniss after her role in Winter's Bone, but there's no reason Hailee Steinfeld shouldn't have been cast (okay, there is, but not from an artistic standpoint). Ironically, Lawrence would make a great Glimmer. Several fans have claimed that Amy Poehler would make a great Effie Trinket and I have to agree. As for Haymitch, there's a whole laundry list of old tough bastard character actors to choose from: Ray Winstone, Ray Stevenson, Ron Perlman, etc. For some reason, I'm picturing Matthew Morrison as Cinna. And there has to be room for Chloe Moretz somewhere, for God's sakes - Foxface, perhaps?
(On even more of a tangent, my all-time unrequited bit of fantasy casting was Ludivine Sagnier as Fleur Delacour for the Harry Potter series, but did Hollywood listen? Nooooooo.)
2. Sons of Anarchy: "Balm"
How good was this episode? I've been burning through the second season of Sons now that it's newly on Netflix Instant Viewing, and it hasn't disappointed. But "Balm" takes the series to a whole new level. The scene at the end with Jax, Clay, Tara, and Gemma made me a little misty eyed - something The Wire never even accomplished. In fact, the entire ending montage is powerful, which is saying something for a series that specializes in ending montages. The moment with Tig flipped out on shrooms and crying his eyes out is hilarious until you realize why he's crying, and then it crashes into poignancy. Brilliant.
3. SyFy's decision to re-air Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
How good is this decision? I'll go to the mat for T:SCC; it was one of the most underrated shows of the past few years. I doubt I'll be re-watching most of it, since it is airing during the highly competitive Thursday night slot, but hopefully sci-fi geeks who missed it the first time will find it.
4. The current season of Archer
How good has this season been? "Placebo Effect" was one of the funniest episodes of any show this year, and "El Secuestro" had me oddly attracted to Pam (more importantly, it was an outstanding showcase for voice actress Amber Nash). Giving Krieger and Gillette more to do this season has also paid extraordinary dividends. And all of this praise takes for granted H Jon Benjamin's work as Sterling Archer, the funniest douchebag on television.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Top Chef All-Stars final power rankings
How do all 18 cheftestants compare now that the season is over?
1. Richard
Win the competition, get crowned #1. It's not rocket science. And besides, Blais deserves it.
2. Antonia
Was screwed out of a Quickfire win on a technicality and could've picked up another Elimination Challenge win if her teammates hadn't been terrible. Otherwise she measures up equally to the season's runner-up...
3. Mike
Too bad nobody likes Mike (albeit for good reason) because he could've been named Top Chef. He's certainly improved since his season - I had him pegged as one of the first to go. Sure, he never sparkled, and only started winning Elimination Challenges once stronger chefs had been kicked out, but he made it to the final episode. That's an achievement.
4. Dale T.
Amassed a lot of wins, and showed maturity since being his season's resident hot-head.
5. Carla
Still maddeningly flighty.
6. Angelo
Peaked too early by winning the first two Elimination Challenges but none after that.
7. Tiffany
Like Mike, she had the luck of outlasting more talented cheftestants. Unlike Mike, she didn't have the chops to back it up. She didn't win a single Elimination Challenge. Even Marcel had an Elimination Challenge win.
8. Fabio
Fabio ran red hot or ice cold, placing in either the top or the bottom of every Elimination Challenge.
9. Tre
Solid middle-of-the-pack contestant.
10. Marcel
Got an Elimination Challenge win, but shared it with teammates Richard and Angelo. One of these chefs is not like the other.
11. Spike
Managed to not be a total asshat, which was accomplishment enough, and somehow proved to be Richard's ideal sous chef. Who knew?
12. Tiffani
13. Casey
14. Dale L.
15. Stephen
16. Jamie
17. Jennifer
18. Elia
The bottom three are two who clearly didn't want to be there, and one who self-destructed. I had Jennifer as #5 in my preseason rankings, but even then I knew that she didn't perform well under pressure.
1. Richard
Win the competition, get crowned #1. It's not rocket science. And besides, Blais deserves it.
2. Antonia
Was screwed out of a Quickfire win on a technicality and could've picked up another Elimination Challenge win if her teammates hadn't been terrible. Otherwise she measures up equally to the season's runner-up...
3. Mike
Too bad nobody likes Mike (albeit for good reason) because he could've been named Top Chef. He's certainly improved since his season - I had him pegged as one of the first to go. Sure, he never sparkled, and only started winning Elimination Challenges once stronger chefs had been kicked out, but he made it to the final episode. That's an achievement.
4. Dale T.
Amassed a lot of wins, and showed maturity since being his season's resident hot-head.
5. Carla
Still maddeningly flighty.
6. Angelo
Peaked too early by winning the first two Elimination Challenges but none after that.
7. Tiffany
Like Mike, she had the luck of outlasting more talented cheftestants. Unlike Mike, she didn't have the chops to back it up. She didn't win a single Elimination Challenge. Even Marcel had an Elimination Challenge win.
8. Fabio
Fabio ran red hot or ice cold, placing in either the top or the bottom of every Elimination Challenge.
9. Tre
Solid middle-of-the-pack contestant.
10. Marcel
Got an Elimination Challenge win, but shared it with teammates Richard and Angelo. One of these chefs is not like the other.
11. Spike
Managed to not be a total asshat, which was accomplishment enough, and somehow proved to be Richard's ideal sous chef. Who knew?
12. Tiffani
13. Casey
14. Dale L.
15. Stephen
16. Jamie
17. Jennifer
18. Elia
The bottom three are two who clearly didn't want to be there, and one who self-destructed. I had Jennifer as #5 in my preseason rankings, but even then I knew that she didn't perform well under pressure.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Disconnected thoughts on The Killing: "Pilot" and "The Cage"
- Maybe crime dramas set in the Pacific Northwest aren't for me. The pilot to Twin Peaks didn't rope me in, and the first two episodes of The Killing I stuck with based on critical opinion and the fact that AMC does no wrong. (I bailed on Rubicon after the first episode and it apparently got better so what do I know)
- Rain should get first billing in the cast.
- I seem to be the only one who doesn't like Mireille Enos as the lead. She looks like she's 25 and should be working on her MFA in poetry, not a homicide detective. Joel Kinnaman as her shifty partner, though? Brilliant. If I keep watching the series, it will be because of him. Case in point: the scene with the two soccer players.
- I immediately recognized Jasper's house as Daniel Greystone's from Caprica (both series were shot in Vancouver). And yet I don't remember half of what I learned in college.
- Better know a character actor: Eric Laden, who plays the douchey assistant to Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell), also plays Betty Draper's douchey brother on Mad Men.
- Seriously, enough with the goddamn rain already.
- Rain should get first billing in the cast.
- I seem to be the only one who doesn't like Mireille Enos as the lead. She looks like she's 25 and should be working on her MFA in poetry, not a homicide detective. Joel Kinnaman as her shifty partner, though? Brilliant. If I keep watching the series, it will be because of him. Case in point: the scene with the two soccer players.
- I immediately recognized Jasper's house as Daniel Greystone's from Caprica (both series were shot in Vancouver). And yet I don't remember half of what I learned in college.
- Better know a character actor: Eric Laden, who plays the douchey assistant to Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell), also plays Betty Draper's douchey brother on Mad Men.
- Seriously, enough with the goddamn rain already.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Wire Madness
Pitting television characters against each other isn't a new idea. But there's no reason we can't have fun with it.
Wire Madness. 64 characters from the HBO series The Wire, competing in an NCAA-tournament style battle. I'm sure there will be some controversy but it's my bracket, so it's my rules.
The bracket is a fairly big picture, so here's a sample:
The full image is available below (click to enlarge).
I'm sure I'll get a lot of flack for Omar's loss, but I always thought he was a tad overrated - I preferred the cool demeanor of Daniels and Freamon to Omar's swag. String's great too but Daniels' moral backbone makes him one of the few incorruptible characters in the show, and I have to reward that.
Wire Madness. 64 characters from the HBO series The Wire, competing in an NCAA-tournament style battle. I'm sure there will be some controversy but it's my bracket, so it's my rules.
The bracket is a fairly big picture, so here's a sample:
The full image is available below (click to enlarge).
I'm sure I'll get a lot of flack for Omar's loss, but I always thought he was a tad overrated - I preferred the cool demeanor of Daniels and Freamon to Omar's swag. String's great too but Daniels' moral backbone makes him one of the few incorruptible characters in the show, and I have to reward that.
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