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Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Rock's New Movie
Looks like the casting director for The Rock's new movie, "Faster," was a lost fan - Shannon (Maggie Grace) and Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) both are in the film!
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Law and Order and Marvel Comics
Another set of Law and Order connections to Marvel Comics movies. JK Simmons has long been the psychiatrist on Law and Order, and of course, he is J Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies. But now two other characters are part of the regulars on Law and Order: Los Angeles - Alfred Molina (Dr. Octopus) and Terence Howard (James Rhodes).
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Life after Lost...
Last year, it seemed like the former stars from Battlestar Galactica kept popping up on Law and Order. This year, I guess it's Lost. The season premiere of SVU featured Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) from Lost, and now the new Law and Order: Los Angeles had a cameo by Mira Furlan (Rousseau).
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Pea Puree
Top Chef Spoilers!!!!
I just saw an episode of this year's Top Chef - Washington DC, and the competition was in the Palm Restaurant. The episode's central controversy was around pea puree. One of the cheftestants, Ed, made a pea puree that didn't make it in transport to the Palm kitchen. He couldn't find it at all. That wouldn't be controversial except Alex, who was generally floundering around in the competition, won the episode using a pea puree. The episode shows that the night before, Alex says he does not know what he is going to make the next day. Kenny tells him that Ed had a nice looking pea puree. The next day, Ed is shown looking around the kitchen for a pea puree. Alex has his already cooked. Alex ends up winning the episode on the merit of the pea puree. He is shown in an interview saying he didn't know that Ed was making a pea puree. Strange.
It's pretty strange - the producers don't have any footage of Alex making the pea puree. They didn't show anything about Ed leaving the peas behind either. Alex's statement that he didn't know about Ed's puree is contradicted directly in the episode which is probably the most suspicious part. Also, Alex hasn't done anything on a winning note thus far, another reason to be slightly suspicious.
It's crazy. I personally think Alex took it - but he'll probably get knocked out before the finale, so the final prize won't be affected.
I just saw an episode of this year's Top Chef - Washington DC, and the competition was in the Palm Restaurant. The episode's central controversy was around pea puree. One of the cheftestants, Ed, made a pea puree that didn't make it in transport to the Palm kitchen. He couldn't find it at all. That wouldn't be controversial except Alex, who was generally floundering around in the competition, won the episode using a pea puree. The episode shows that the night before, Alex says he does not know what he is going to make the next day. Kenny tells him that Ed had a nice looking pea puree. The next day, Ed is shown looking around the kitchen for a pea puree. Alex has his already cooked. Alex ends up winning the episode on the merit of the pea puree. He is shown in an interview saying he didn't know that Ed was making a pea puree. Strange.
It's pretty strange - the producers don't have any footage of Alex making the pea puree. They didn't show anything about Ed leaving the peas behind either. Alex's statement that he didn't know about Ed's puree is contradicted directly in the episode which is probably the most suspicious part. Also, Alex hasn't done anything on a winning note thus far, another reason to be slightly suspicious.
It's crazy. I personally think Alex took it - but he'll probably get knocked out before the finale, so the final prize won't be affected.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Netflix Instant
Netflix Instant has really been improving, in my opinion. For a while, there wasn't very much that I wanted to watch. But recently I've noticed that the library has really expanded. Now available - all prior seasons of Buffy, Angel, 24, X-Files, Lost, The Office and 30 Rock. My requests, please release Alias and West Wing! Battlestar would be another great release.
The streaming quality is really good over my PS3 - the HD shows look incredible. That's what drew me into Lost in the first place.
The streaming quality is really good over my PS3 - the HD shows look incredible. That's what drew me into Lost in the first place.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Observations
Inglourious Basterds - A pretty good Tarantino film without being too complicated or mysterious but still with his style of dark humor. I don't know why it took Netflix 4 months to get it to me, but it was great.
24 - Considering how hard it is to fire someone from the government, people get fired from CTU a lot!
Hubble 3D - Where is this movie playing??
The Jets - shopping Alan Faneca now? Mike Tannenbaum is the type of GM who gets a lot done but this seems ridiculous. We're trying to win next year, right?
24 - Considering how hard it is to fire someone from the government, people get fired from CTU a lot!
Hubble 3D - Where is this movie playing??
The Jets - shopping Alan Faneca now? Mike Tannenbaum is the type of GM who gets a lot done but this seems ridiculous. We're trying to win next year, right?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
24: Season 8
Well, I finally caved and started watching 24: Season 8. Apparently this is the final season for this show. That's probably a good thing. I'll start off with the spoiler-free review. Granted, I'm only through about 13 episodes of the season so far (roughly 16 have aired) but I'm not sure I can continue.
The cast sounds like it would be pretty good. Kiefer Sutherland returns as Jack Bauer, Mary Lynn Rajskub is back for another go-around as Chloe O'Brian and Cherry Jones returns as President Allison Taylor. New stars added to the CTU team this year include Battlestar's Katee Sackhoff, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Mykelti Williamson. Not a bad lineup. Anil Kapoor from Slumdog Millionaire is also present as a foreign leader. Plus, the show takes place in Manhattan for the first time. You'd think all these things would make for a pretty decent set-up.
Instead, what we get is a total retread of every other 24 season ever performed. If I had the inclination, I'd like to tally up the following scenarios that are now 24 cliches because they've been used so often. I won't even include the usual "hunt for the macguffin" type or "what is character x's allegiance" stuff that goes on. At least this year is fairly free of Presidential drama (although I've heard a certain character from prior years is returning, much to my chagrin).
So with some minor spoilers, this year we've been treated to Jack being forced out of retirement, a scenario where a CTU staff member has serious personal problems that are completely uninteresting yet seem to take up 15 minutes of some episodes, CTU being "taken out," a mole within CTU (that is _so_ unbelievable I may not be able to continue watching), inter-department squabbling between federal law enforcement agencies, and oh yes, nobody trusts Chloe despite her years of experience. I'm waiting for Jack's daughter to get kidnapped but I think she's safely on a cross country plane flight.
I'm glad this show is ending because it was spectacular for about 4 seasons, then horrible for about 2, then so-so for 1 and now back to horrible. If they can't come up with any new elements, it is definitely time to put this to bed.
The cast sounds like it would be pretty good. Kiefer Sutherland returns as Jack Bauer, Mary Lynn Rajskub is back for another go-around as Chloe O'Brian and Cherry Jones returns as President Allison Taylor. New stars added to the CTU team this year include Battlestar's Katee Sackhoff, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Mykelti Williamson. Not a bad lineup. Anil Kapoor from Slumdog Millionaire is also present as a foreign leader. Plus, the show takes place in Manhattan for the first time. You'd think all these things would make for a pretty decent set-up.
Instead, what we get is a total retread of every other 24 season ever performed. If I had the inclination, I'd like to tally up the following scenarios that are now 24 cliches because they've been used so often. I won't even include the usual "hunt for the macguffin" type or "what is character x's allegiance" stuff that goes on. At least this year is fairly free of Presidential drama (although I've heard a certain character from prior years is returning, much to my chagrin).
So with some minor spoilers, this year we've been treated to Jack being forced out of retirement, a scenario where a CTU staff member has serious personal problems that are completely uninteresting yet seem to take up 15 minutes of some episodes, CTU being "taken out," a mole within CTU (that is _so_ unbelievable I may not be able to continue watching), inter-department squabbling between federal law enforcement agencies, and oh yes, nobody trusts Chloe despite her years of experience. I'm waiting for Jack's daughter to get kidnapped but I think she's safely on a cross country plane flight.
I'm glad this show is ending because it was spectacular for about 4 seasons, then horrible for about 2, then so-so for 1 and now back to horrible. If they can't come up with any new elements, it is definitely time to put this to bed.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Media Update
A quick review on some of the media I've been consuming:
TV
Lost: The final season, and it's been pretty excellent. It does seem like they're stalling a little bit as they head towards the end. On the other hand a few of the episodes have dumped a ton of answers. My only complaint is they've split up the characters in such a way that you go full episodes without seeing certain characters. I wish that wasn't happening.
V: I don't find this show as intriguing as Lost, and somehow its theme of "anyone could be a V" makes me think of Battlestar Galactica (which was much better). I'll keep watching for a little bit but I'm not sure how much longer I'll stay on board.
The Office: I thought it had jumped the shark with the wedding episode but there have been a few good episodes since then. Maybe it'll be making a turnaround.
Law and Order / Law and Order SVU: The NY Times wrote about this recently. Law and Order has been getting better, and meanwhile SVU is getting worse. SVU is so contrived lately, but meanwhile the cases on the regular Law and Order are about as good as they've been.
Batman: Brave and the Bold - check it out! It's not just for kids. It's funny.
Smallville: I can't believe they want to bring this show back for another season. Yet I can't stay away.
24: I haven't seen this season yet but it's the last season according to reports. It takes place in NY, so I'll be watching.
Video Games
Last year, when I bought my PS3, I had 1-2 games I was interested. Now my library of games is 16. In that time, there were a lot of Christmas sales, but also a lot of good games. Amazingly, the best 2-3 have been very recent.
God of War 3: I just finished this game. It's better than the first two (which I also replayed recently in the HD versions). The bosses are tougher, the scale is more epic, and the story, well, it's not as straightforward but it's not anywhere near a Metal Gear Solid level of complexity.
Uncharted 2: Another amazing game. I think this, God of War 3 and MGS 4 are probably 3 of my favorite games ever. Great graphics, great gameplay and a movie level of story. While GOW 3 is more on the side of action and MGS 4 is more on the side of cinematic story, Uncharted 2 is nicely inbetween.
Batman: Arkham Asylum: This is one of the best comic adaptation games I've ever played. I had played this before Uncharted 2 and GOW 3, and thought it was great. Now that I've finished those two other games, I'd have to revise my review. Arkham Asylum is certainly fun and engaging, and makes great use of the Batman license. But it is nowhere near Uncharted 2 or GOW 3 in terms of fun, gameplay or graphics.
I haven't seen a ton of movies lately in the theater. Avatar was totally overrated, I'm glad it didn't win that many academy awards. If we gave Oscars based on groundbreaking effects, then Independence Day and Jurassic Park should have won more Oscars. On Netflix - Justice League: Crisis on 2 Earths was good, Hangover was overrated, Public Enemies was a bit boring, Funny People and I Love You, Man were better than I expected, Bruno was not as good as Borat.
TV
Lost: The final season, and it's been pretty excellent. It does seem like they're stalling a little bit as they head towards the end. On the other hand a few of the episodes have dumped a ton of answers. My only complaint is they've split up the characters in such a way that you go full episodes without seeing certain characters. I wish that wasn't happening.
V: I don't find this show as intriguing as Lost, and somehow its theme of "anyone could be a V" makes me think of Battlestar Galactica (which was much better). I'll keep watching for a little bit but I'm not sure how much longer I'll stay on board.
The Office: I thought it had jumped the shark with the wedding episode but there have been a few good episodes since then. Maybe it'll be making a turnaround.
Law and Order / Law and Order SVU: The NY Times wrote about this recently. Law and Order has been getting better, and meanwhile SVU is getting worse. SVU is so contrived lately, but meanwhile the cases on the regular Law and Order are about as good as they've been.
Batman: Brave and the Bold - check it out! It's not just for kids. It's funny.
Smallville: I can't believe they want to bring this show back for another season. Yet I can't stay away.
24: I haven't seen this season yet but it's the last season according to reports. It takes place in NY, so I'll be watching.
Video Games
Last year, when I bought my PS3, I had 1-2 games I was interested. Now my library of games is 16. In that time, there were a lot of Christmas sales, but also a lot of good games. Amazingly, the best 2-3 have been very recent.
God of War 3: I just finished this game. It's better than the first two (which I also replayed recently in the HD versions). The bosses are tougher, the scale is more epic, and the story, well, it's not as straightforward but it's not anywhere near a Metal Gear Solid level of complexity.
Uncharted 2: Another amazing game. I think this, God of War 3 and MGS 4 are probably 3 of my favorite games ever. Great graphics, great gameplay and a movie level of story. While GOW 3 is more on the side of action and MGS 4 is more on the side of cinematic story, Uncharted 2 is nicely inbetween.
Batman: Arkham Asylum: This is one of the best comic adaptation games I've ever played. I had played this before Uncharted 2 and GOW 3, and thought it was great. Now that I've finished those two other games, I'd have to revise my review. Arkham Asylum is certainly fun and engaging, and makes great use of the Batman license. But it is nowhere near Uncharted 2 or GOW 3 in terms of fun, gameplay or graphics.
I haven't seen a ton of movies lately in the theater. Avatar was totally overrated, I'm glad it didn't win that many academy awards. If we gave Oscars based on groundbreaking effects, then Independence Day and Jurassic Park should have won more Oscars. On Netflix - Justice League: Crisis on 2 Earths was good, Hangover was overrated, Public Enemies was a bit boring, Funny People and I Love You, Man were better than I expected, Bruno was not as good as Borat.
ABC
With Lost winding down, it seems like ABC is really pushing shows like V and Flashforward as the heirs to Lost. But I'm not sure it's working. I think part of their thinking is that there are cast members that overlap between Lost and the other two shows. Also, the serial nature of the shows and the sci-fi themes are also similarities. But that's probably where the similarities end. As a show, Lost is pretty unique and I'm not sure that either of the other two can really capture that uniqueness. I have been watching V, but it is not nearly as interesting as Lost was in the early episodes. In fact, right now the main reason I have been watching it is that I didn't realize Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet from Lost) was a major character in V. I'm really surprised how her hairstyle and makeup changes fooled me.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Lost Season 5
My race to get up to speed with Lost is going to be easily met - currently watching season 5, episode 6. That leaves 10 more til the premiere.
Today's episode, titled "316" (SPOILERS)
It starts with Jack, Ben, Sun and Desmond reunited with Eloise Hawking. I'm getting a "Knights who say Ni" moment here...
Jack needs to reunite the Oceanic Six. They need to go back to the island. Take a specific flight. Exactly recreate the events of the accident. Give Locke something of your father's.
Hmm. I would like a shrubbery. One that looks nice and is not too expensive. Oh you have one? Now another shrubbery. Oh and now cut down the tallest tree in the forest with a herring.
Sure, I know I should watch the rest of the episode first...
Today's episode, titled "316" (SPOILERS)
It starts with Jack, Ben, Sun and Desmond reunited with Eloise Hawking. I'm getting a "Knights who say Ni" moment here...
Jack needs to reunite the Oceanic Six. They need to go back to the island. Take a specific flight. Exactly recreate the events of the accident. Give Locke something of your father's.
Hmm. I would like a shrubbery. One that looks nice and is not too expensive. Oh you have one? Now another shrubbery. Oh and now cut down the tallest tree in the forest with a herring.
Sure, I know I should watch the rest of the episode first...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Lost
SPOILERS for Lost Season 3
I'm just about to watch the finale of Lost, season 3.
At this point, the Others are planning on invading the survivors' camp to take the pregnant women. Jack finds out about this so he decides the best way to attack the Others is to vacate the camp and leave dynamite behind to blow up the arriving Others.
I saw this plan once before in a movie. It was called "Blazing Saddles."
I'm just about to watch the finale of Lost, season 3.
At this point, the Others are planning on invading the survivors' camp to take the pregnant women. Jack finds out about this so he decides the best way to attack the Others is to vacate the camp and leave dynamite behind to blow up the arriving Others.
I saw this plan once before in a movie. It was called "Blazing Saddles."
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
NYT Spoils SVU
I didn't think it was possible, but the NY Times spoiled tonight's episode of Law and Order SVU for me by featuring a story about a character's demise on their front page, only 30 minutes after the episode completed airing here on the east coast. This is about as bad as the NY Times movie reviews that give away the entire plot of the movie.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Yet Another Law and Order Cameo (or two)
Hillary Duff on SVU, Jason Jones from The Daily Show briefly shows up in Law and Order: Mothership as a real reporter. Always entertained by the impressive cast this show manages to put together.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Things On 24 That I Just Noticed
Watching 24 today, a pair of quick observations. One non-spoiler, the other minor spoiler.
First, non-spoiler: I never really thought of this but it seems way too easy to knock a guy out in an action movie by smashing him on the back of the head. Not that I've ever tried to smash people on the back of the head to knock them out, but I would think the force necessary to do so is more than is typically represented.
Second, minor spoiler:
In the last few episodes, Jack Bauer has been relegated to the sidelines of the action. I wonder if Kiefer Sutherland sustained some sort of injury that prevented him from performing some more of the physical actions required from the show and his usual role.
First, non-spoiler: I never really thought of this but it seems way too easy to knock a guy out in an action movie by smashing him on the back of the head. Not that I've ever tried to smash people on the back of the head to knock them out, but I would think the force necessary to do so is more than is typically represented.
Second, minor spoiler:
In the last few episodes, Jack Bauer has been relegated to the sidelines of the action. I wonder if Kiefer Sutherland sustained some sort of injury that prevented him from performing some more of the physical actions required from the show and his usual role.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Kirk's Chair
I would never think to get Kirk's chair for my living room (independent of living in a small apartment in New York) but it's very popular among Star Trek fans. For some reason I found this article quite funny. I'm also shocked the first place I'm reading about this fad is in the NY Times, which is generally behind on trends and nerdy-type things.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
More on SVU
Last night's SVU with guest stars Carol Burnett and Matthew Lillard as guest stars. They played some characters with really quirky personalities too. This year's SVU has had an amazing track record of guest stars in general. A strong episode just in time for sweeps.
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