friday review frenzy

we do wednesday frenzies but we do friday frenzies too. four shows that were on wednesday and that I watched on thursday. oh I hate living in a dark ages tv-less civilisation…

Private Practice – The other side of this life

hm… As much as I love both Kate Walsh and her character Addison, I found my mind wandering off in this double-decker season (and series) opener. The characters seem to have little to do with each other, their actions are random and take forever. Addison was eerily freaky throughout most of the episode (what’s with all the high-pitch screaming?) trying to get people to like them – I think. Maybe she was just trying to make a point. We’ll never know what it was though, maybe she wanted to just say: I’M STAYING HERE! (yes, in caps. she was screaming again). I miss the strong Addison from Grey’s Anatomy. But I’m going to keep watching Private Practice if only to find out if she actually moved to L.A. to become a whimp.

check this out for an interesting nyt feminist viewpoint.

Gossip Girl – The wild brunch

This one was a bit slow. I keep trying to figure out why Chuck is even there – except for his antagonistic purpose it seems to make no sense that anyone would like him. Nate – pretty boy whiner *ick* I like Serena and I really enjoy Dan’s sarcastic and witty retorts. His little sister Jenny though makes me want to crash headfirst into a tree; I just don’t know what to do with naive people. Much less with once-burned-yet-repeatedly-naive girls.
Best.Episode.Moment.Ever [spoiler alert]:
When Serena drops her cell into a random bin in NY. This scene/action exemplifies the core of what a life is these days. It’s all in a mobile phone. It’s a great metaphor!

Life – Pilot

I watched the preair a while ago. From what I remember it didn’t knock me off my feet. Pros: There’s a cop who was in prison for 12 years, always material for an interesting story. He has a spleen about fruit, and everyone loves an eccentric cop. There’s Sarah Shahi. In uniform.

Til Death – Four neighbours and a funeral

bleh. I enjoy the show, mostly because of Joely Richardson. Speaking of which: the black dress? swoooon. I wondered why Eddie was still talking (= complaining, being self-obsessed) to his wife and not doing something completely different with her looking so gorgeous in that dress. At least I would have shut up and… oh well.

The new opening titles are nice. ever-changing, just like Ellen’s used to be *sigh* the good old times… seriously, the following 8 minutes are really worth your time:

big wednesday series disquisition

the shows that are on on monday
I can watch on tuesday
and ergo comment on them on wednesday.

so here goes:

weeds – he taught me how to drive byNancy is so the leader! she totally knows how to do the gangsta stuff by now (“respect!”) as awkward as she may look doing it. [spoiler alert] Last week when they snuffed out U-Turn life just like that I thought: well, look who took the easyy writing way out to end a horrible story line. A method, I think, that Weeds has taken quite a liking to lately (unfortunately). This week however they turned Weeds back into the show I like and respect. Nancy is back. She seems to know what she wants and she’s taking it. Not that I can necessarily see what she sees in her creepy slick boss, but hey, she’s definitely a top

how I met your mother – wait for it
I’m happy it’s back. the tramp stamp was ridiculously funny. Mandy Moore was ridiculously funny too (yes, I love Barney, Marshall and Lily cracked me up. Love that they’re still pushing the slap bet through. Hilarious Ending. Come to think of it Slap Bet is probably my favourite HIMYM episode ever.
episode revelation: enrique inglesias doesn’t suck as an actor

refresh your slap bet memory:

and the amazing – wait for it – slap bet countdown!

journeyman – pilot
I have reviewed this before

californication – girls, interrupted
what the fuck is wrong with mia? that girl doesn’t need any more sex, drugs and rock & roll, but a psychiatrist and a father that’s actually available and looking after her. someone set some boundaries for that girl, for fuck’s sake!
other than that: charlie and the nipple clamps? priceless. he deserved it. david duchovny is getting better every week. it’s a great character to play and I like the way he does it. karen needs to give hank a break sometime soon. unfortunately I think the hank-mia thing is going to get out quite soon, so no luck with karen is my guess.

heroes – four months later
just like last season the premiere made me think I know what’s coming. and just like last season I’ll probably find out soon that I have no idea tim kring has in store for us this season. I like being surprised that way.
it wasn’t a grand episode, but frankly there’s just a lot to round up in a premiere like that. it’s basically a prologue. now I’m on my toes for chapter 2 where I expect the story to pick up properly.

I pass.

I’m schizophrenic when it comes to the fall season linup. I love it yet I hate it, because I know that I don’t have an unlimited amount of time. Hence I can’t watch everything I’d like to get immersed in. Which – forgive me that – sucks.

These are the show’s I’m not going to watch even though they’re supposedly great and I might want to watch them. Spare time is a factor here, as is my thesis. I’ll probably watch a couple of the pilots though and reevaluate, if time is the only thing keeping me away from a show then I’ll be doing some catching up over the summer, so if you don’t have too much time on your hands either during the year then we can invent our very own marathon mini-season from July to August if you want. Stick with me

[disclaimer: This list is soooo subject to change.]

Chuck
The Big Bang Theory
Aliens in America
Samantha Who?
Life
My name is Earl (I still haven’t watched the second season)
Reaper
Cashmere Mafia
Cane
Kid Nation
ER (still stuck in season eight I am. And yoda it seems too I am.)
Women’s Murder Club
Men in Trees
Battlestar Galactica
Dexter
Blood Ties

I’m still arguing against better reason over American Idol and American Band. Huuuuuge guilty pleasure!

Dear watchlist, you’re getting bigger every day.

I’m sorry I stopped reviewing state of mind regularly. I’ll give my opinion at the end of the season (which should be pretty soon afaik), but it’s just really hard to review episode by episode, given that what’s best about it is the dialogue. I’d have to quote and recap almost whole episodes. over the course of the season so far state of mind lacks character progress. you know how in storytelling formats the main character evolves – anne bellows doesn’t really do that, at least not a lot. I’m still waiting for a conclusive explanation for that. we’ll see…

I also have a another new show on my list since just about now: Journeyman
Dan Vasser occasionally (or rather quite often) travels into the past, not that he would want that or could prevent it, he’s pretty much fate’s bitch, changing lives and saving people while he’s in the past. What makes this even more interesting is that his own past is quite a piece of work and not necessarily something he wants to go back to. Plus suddenly being absent from his own present for even days at a time benefits neither the relationship with his wife and son nor with his employer. Fate’s bitch indeed. The first episode was basically just the exposition (great, now I have the exposition song in my head), and I’m quite eager to see how it will go on, but so far I’m on board and thrilled to see if Dan will change his own past and endanger his present. The show is well written, doesn’t look cheap and I really enjoyed the seamless segues from present to past and back.

Dan Vasser is played by Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Rome*) who is originally Scottish (weirdly accent free though) and has freakishly blue eyes. I enjoyed him quite a lot as Dan. He’s very intense, especially in that scene where he passionately rips open his patio to prove to his wife (Gretchen Egolf, she reminds me of some other actress, don’t yet know who though…) that he isn’t going nuts or doing drugs. Apparently McKidd is set to play Dylan Thomas in a biopic currently filming (Interesting…). Some will also know Reed Diamond, who’s playing Dan’s brother, as Amy’s love interest Stuart on Judging Amy.

Journeyman is written by Kevin Falls who co-exec produced both Aaron Sorkin shows The West Wing and Sports Night as well as written for both of them. Director Alex Graves has directing credits on shows like The West Wing, Sports Night, The Practice and Ally McBeal. Come to think of it…. so many Sorkin associates – this show has to be good.

What else is interesting? The journeyman, his dead ex-girlfriend, his brother, and his wife, who used to be the brother’s girlfriend. Confusing? Yes. Explosive? Indeed. But none the less interesting.

Journeyman airs Mondays on NBC, starting September 24th.

* I still haven’t watched Rome! Bad me, maybe I should.

“Men, men… why do I love men so much?”

OK, this Ellen quote has nothing not much to do with the content of this post, but I happen to think it’s hilarious, so I decided to use it just for the sake of it. Fact is, I do like men. I don’t necessary prefer them for sex and relationships, but there was a time when I did and I can still appreciate them in all those ways. But that’s not the point. I mostly like men as friends, straight men. I like hanging out with them, making below-the-belt jokes, drinking beer. Surely I can do most of those things with lesbians, but in my experience straight men are much more relaxed, not so touchy about dirty jokes and explicit language. I get them. So today I want to talk about two very “male” shows, one being a recently launched show, the other a bbc-show that’s a bit older, not only when it comes to production dates.

Californication

I really like Hank Moody. He behaves badly, booze is his best friend, drugs are his second best, he fucks whatever women he can score and frequently gets into brawls. I really like him. I can identify with him. He’s not a bad boy per se, just a lovable loser. His successful novel was turned into an even more successful, but according to Hank crappy, movie. He’s madly in love with his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, whom he did not marry. Which is why she’s now with Bill who makes her yawn happy because he’s boring reliable. Hank is also really great with his 12-year old, precocious daughter Becca. Unfortunately Hank slept with Bill’s own 16-year old daughter Mia, before he knew who and how old she was. Also Mia punched him in the face while they were having sex and continues to make advances on him. All in all I think it’s understandable why Hank is so fucked up.

I like shows that dare to be so nonchalantly explicit – nudity, foul language, violence… it’s all there. Californication is a great vehicle for David Duchovny who is finally showing his talent as Hank. Natascha McElhone as his ex-girlfriend Karen is endearing and so obviously still in love with him, though not as interested in fucking him as Mia (Madeline Zima) is. Madeline Zima is a great (and beautiful) surprise. She is working hard on leaving her Nanny-self behind and becoming more than a once child actor and she’s definitely succeeding to do so in Californication. Give it a try and you’ll thoroughly enjoy this candid, fresh show.

Manchild

Manchild is a BBC-comedy from 2002 and stars Nigel Havers, Anthony Head, Don Warrington and Ray Burdis.
Imagine four middle aged men, two divorced, one still married, one never married. Basically these four are trying to get laid, all possible drama, accidents and failure (penis- and other-related) included. It’s British, it’s fun it’s hilarious. And it’s got Tony Head who I (and a lot of other chicks) have had the hots for ever since Buffy aired. Yes, he’s an older guy and I realise the cliché here, but just look at him! That guy is pure charm and he’s got the good looks as well and god, once you’ve heard him sing… *sigh* let me just quote (lesbian!) Willow here: “Now I know why I used to have such a crush on him.”

He seems to be one of those better when older men (like Sean Connery, etc.) though.
Young tony head is not my type at all:

Anyways, Manchild season one is out on DVD. Still waiting for season 2. Go, watch Californication now!

Damages

Before I even start telling you about FX’s new show Damages, let me tell you that I was kindly invited by McCutcheon to blog about it, because she doesn’t watch it and I do. That rarely happens and it results in you having to read my comparatively unqualified opinion.

Damages has a lot of well-known and liked actors that bring the show to life in a marvellous way. Glenn Close is brilliant as Patty Hewes, a high-profile litigator with slight ethics issues, it seems. Tate Donovan plays her second in command, Tom Shayes who I haven’t quite figured out just yet. Then again, I really haven’t figured out any of the characters because the show is so fantastically grey. Ted Danson plays Arthur Frobisher, a fishy business tycoon and Patty’s opponent.

In the beginning – after one minute of a bloody, half naked young woman wandering lost in the Streets of NYC – everything is clear. Patty is good and Frobisher is bad. A little further into the show everything is turned upside down and nothing is as it seems. Patty is not the litigator in shining armour, but has a dog killed and her arms deep down in other rather dodgy schemings. And Frobisher turns out to be a loving husband and father, quite opposite his reputation as a ruthless business man, who is probably guilty of a big-time fraud.

Having seen five episodes I’m no wiser on how Ellen (Rose Byrne) ended up all bloody and messed up at the police station. Unlike other shows, Damages keeps my mind occupied with working out wild theories on how it all happened and who is who, only to be contradicted when watching the next episode.

The acting is brilliant, especially Glenn Close. I can’t help but really like Patty Hewes for being a little morally challenged. Ellen unnerves the shit out of me for being so naive – and then I tell myself that even though I feel like I don’t know anything about how it all happened, I still have more information than poor Ellen and it’s not her fault that she’s always the last to know.

The show is 100 % drama and suspense paired with a good cast and nice acting. As for the rest I’m not near being qualified to judge, but I feel that camera stuff and all that is good too. The music certainly is!

posted by finn

presenting the guest-blogger

I personally decided not to watch Damages, but as people are already raving about this show I decided to ask Finn to guestblog about it for you, my faithful reader.

A warm welcome to fellow music-blogger Finn Porter from the Soundcafe.

yours truly,
the owner of this blog

Lili Taylor fishes for passion

this is state of mind reviewing galore, starting with episode four which I have “skimmed” through again today.

episode4: “passion fishing”
Naturally I love the fact that Ann is getting it on with Cordelia’s ex-husband, mostly because I don’t much like Cordelia. Also I don’t really want to get what the problem is with dating your best friend’s ex. But then I haven’t had an ex in quite some time, plus I’m not exactly known for the habit of entertaining BFFs. I like that with Lili Taylor and Courtney B. Vance (William) I get to enjoy some amusing dialogues too.

William: What are you thinking?
Ann: Two things: You’re my friend’s husband. And you’re leaving town.
William: Well I’m thinking three things: I’m her ex-husband. I’ll be back in a week. And [pause] you have beautiful breasts.
Ann: That’s four things.

And when she wrecks his car in the opening scene and consequently bashes him for it, while he was in park all the time and now he can’t close his driver seat door? Priceless. Something else I notice in the opening scene: Lili Taylor really does look substantially pregnant. She continues to do so throughout the episode. Gorgeous girlfriend thinks so too.

The other storyline, Cordelia and her psycho, maybe-not-so-disabled-but-much-more-a-stalker patient, creeps me out. Kevin Rankin is really, really creepy as Arthur Cromwell. He looks so completely different in the last scene, minus the crutches, plus the evil gaze. I wonder where that storyline is going and who Arthur Cromwell might really be. An old patient skillfully disguised and now taking revenge? Hey, it’s not that I don’t like shrinks!

As for the regular patients, the old couple maybe or maybe not trying to kill each other was kinda… sweet? I mean it was tragic, but somehow State of Mind tackles the really crazy ones with such love and a pinch of salt.

I kinda like how they choose their episode titles. End of story.

Potty wee Potter

I finally managed to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and the book that is my favourite out of all Harry Potter books turned out to be also my favourite of the Potter movies. Obviously part of the glory goes to J. K. Rowling for writing such a great novel to begin with, but the directing was so far above that of the previous movies. I say David Yates‘ a keeper. The acting was generally much better, i.e. Radcliffe’s and Grint’s. Watson was a bit weak this time, but Evanna Lynch as Luna made the day. Great casting was finally made apparent in the role of Sirius (his/Gary Oldman’s stint on Prisoner of Askaban is a pretty short one after all), both Malfoys are perfectly casted as is Helena Bonham-Carter as crazy Bellatrix Lestrange. I realised I never had a clear picture of Bella while reading the books, but Bonham-Carter gave the Death Eater a perfect face. Alan Rickman of course delighted me as always and more than ever.
Also aesthetically The Order of the Phoenix presents itself much better than any of its predecessors. The lighting, the costumes,… there’s serious beauty in this film. I can also live with most of the changes they have done in the script, after all a movie can only be so long, but serious out-of-character stuff bugs me, i.e. the twins interrupting O.W.L.s. They’d never do that! I fear they might encounter a problem with the last two movies. Maybe not yet in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, for which filming will reportedly start in September, but by the time they’ll start filming the last one in 2010 most of the actors will definitely look too old for their Potterverse counterparts. Considering they stuck to David Yates as director at least for the next one I am indeed thrilled about it.

how plans get thwarted

I was going to do a review of state of mind episode 4 together with one of episode 5. Unfortunately the internet decided not to give me episode 5. I’m still hoping it’s a “not yet” and that I will somehow get my hands on it. by now I’ve forgotten about episode 4 of course, so I’m going to go and rewatch it and then post about it. Maybe by then someone will have put up a torrent for episode 5. I’d watch online but being from europe the lifetime site won’t let me do that…