TV: Fall 2013 Shows (new and returning)

Fall 2013 TV

Well, my predictions on future blog posts have been poor this fall.  September surprisingly saw the release of more films that I was interested in than October.  I have been tempted to go see Captain Phillips, as I like Tom Hanks a lot and it got great reviews - but it seemed like another bleak drama, and the premise just didn't grab me (Netflix for sure, though).  The good news is that I can guarantee that there will be a lot more movie reviews coming soon - not next week, but the week after with either 12 Years a Slave (PLEASE show this one, local rural theater!!!) or Ender's Game, followed by the new Thor, Hunger Games, and on we go.

But I didn't want to go too long without a blog post.  What to do?  There have been some interesting stories/surprises in the NFL at the midseason mark, but not enough for a whole post.  I haven't looked at the coming NBA season enough yet to do a preview (hopefully have one next week).  And I've almost done a political post recently (shutdown/debt ceiling thing), but haven't found the right way to do a quick essay form post.  However, I hope to do some research on gerrymandering (possibly with campaign finance) and post about that sometime this fall or winter.

But what about this week?  It occurred to me:  I've never done a blog post about TV shows (nearly did one on Lost a few years ago after Netflixing the whole series).  I've been able to watch a little more this fall thanks to my new DVR (I will never have cable without DVR again).  So here's a look at what I've been watching, and recommendations thereof.


ABC

Modern Family
Wednesdays @ 9:00 PM

If you've never heard of this show, you've probably been living under a rock.  Now in its fifth season, Modern Family has been growing in popularity each year, while achieving critical success from the beginning (it's won Outstanding Comedy at the Emmys every year it's been on air).  Using the mockumentary style made famous by The Office (one of my all-time favorite shows), Modern Family combines it with the traditional sit-com's family dynamics and values to create a new classic.  Each episode switches among three units of an extended family, each of which has uniquely hilarious dynamics.  My favorite/funniest characters are Cam (Eric Stonestreet), Phil (Ty Burrell) and Jay (Ed O'Neill) - although young Lily is becoming really funny this year, too.

Modern Family was laugh-out-loud hilarious in seasons one and two, then regressed significantly in season three (in my opinion) and recovered somewhat last year.  Season five, I'm happy to say, is back to the show's original fantastic form.  The show has rid itself of the cliches it started to pick up in the last two seasons, as well as its focus on the kids (they're fine strictly as supporting parts - NOT in the lead).  The ingenious plot connections among the three units are back in strong form, as is the overall sheer cleverness.  The best comedy series of the fall so far, by a wide margin.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Tuesdays @ 8:00 PM

Made thanks to the incredible popularity of The Avengers, this show had the good fortune of being created by that film's director, Joss Whedon.  In its first season, Agents of SHIELD has established itself as an hour-long family adventure (probably appropriate for middle-school kids and up) in the model of Lois and Clark and similar shows.  The show focuses on, of course, the shadowy agency known as SHIELD, and on one particular unit led by Agent Coulson (familiar from recent Marvel films - same actor, too).  Working with Coulson is a team of five:  two (non-"super") butt-kickers, two nerdy scientists, and one mystery who used to work for a "Wikileaks"-like organization.  The structure is fairly conventional, with a plot-of-the-week, although there's been considerable character development (for some of them anyway) and the beginnings of an overarching nemesis organization.

Being a comic book-film fan (strangely, though, I've never bought or read a comic book), I had to try this show.  Plus, I figured ABC and Marvel would pour plenty of resources into it considering the popularity of its inspiration.  The result so far:  Agents of SHIELD is a surprisingly good show.  It isn't deep or a critical darling, but it is simply very entertaining.  Coulson and the mystery girl - former "Rising Tide" (ie: Wikileaks) hacker Skye - are the main characters, and form a solid foundation.  The others aren't much more than stereotypes yet, but they are all easy on the eyes.  The show has a lot of potential for growth, but it's already well worth watching.


CBS

The Crazy Ones
Thursdays @ 9:00 PM

Two huge names - from very different past roles - team up for CBS' new hit comedy.  Now, I need to get off my chest that I am somewhat biased against CBS - I think most of their shows (granted, a lot of it I've only seen in commercials) are incredibly simplistic, redundant and purely commercial crap (how many ****ing NCIS, CSI, GHJ, ABC and XYZ investigation shows do you need?!?!).  Putting two huge names together - Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar - seemed like another obvious ploy that the uber-rich CBS pulled to get mega ratings.  Still, I LOVE Robin Williams - so I had to try it.  He stars as the head of an ad agency, and Gellar is his daughter who works for him.  Also involved are two male and one female assistants.  I'm a few weeks behind on this (they're waiting on my DVR), but to this point each episode revolves around the ad agency trying to create campaigns for various clients with a mix of embarrassing failure and heart-warming triumph.

It's too early to have a final verdict on this show, as I could easily see it becoming either great or terrible.  Robin Williams is still hilarious, and when he is the focus the show is hilarious.  Gellar (or rather the character they wrote for her) isn't bad but certainly the weak link - an adoring daughter who messes up then figures out how to fix it (usually only with her dad's help).  The other three are still wild cards.  They have set up Zack (James Wolk) and Andrew (Hamish Linklater) to have clearly defined and opposing personalities - so far, they've worked at times and failed at others.  I'll keep watching it and hope it develops, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it falls apart.

The Big Bang Theory
Thursdays @ 8:00 PM

Here's another one that you'd have to be culturally-deficient not to know about.  I came to this show a little late, but really enjoyed watching random re-runs and getting to know the characters.  The premise, shocking for a CBS show, is actually fairly creative, with a band of super smart nerds and one single "normal" young woman living in the same apartment building.  The cast has grown to include female counterparts for Sheldon and Howard - Amy and Bernadette.  To me, by far the funniest parts of the show have been the interactions of Sheldon, he of the severe case of Asperger's, and Penny, the ordinary country girl now living in the city.  Howard, while occasionally funny, is far more repulsive than amusing; and unfortunately the new cast members have not been too good.

I actually only watched the season premiere episode of this show, and have not seen one since.  While the early seasons of Big Bang were quite good, it has become pretty bad now.  I watched it last season, but only because I was with a group of people who did still like it - but last year was also terrible.  Why is it so bad now?  For one, they have run out of good ideas and are rehashing plots/situations that they have done twice, three times, or more.  The characters have changed as the show has become more popular - developing would be one thing, but they are cynical and "cool", a disastrous trend.  Unless I get a compelling case from someone to do so, I will not be watching new episodes of this show again.  Old re-runs are still good, though.


NBC

Parks and Recreation
Thursdays @ 8:00 PM

This show started off very quietly in the shadow of the massively popular The Office in 2009.  Another mockumentary-style show, Parks & Rec is about a small town's government department (guess which one?) led by eternally optimistic and hard-charging Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler).  The show provides an interesting - albeit silly and over-the-top, of course - look at both the strengths and weaknesses of (local) government in modern society.  The department is hilariously headed by libertarian Ron Swanson, who oversees a mostly ragtag crew:  Knope (the one motivated employee), stylish Indian American Tom, goofy Andy, exasperated Ann, serious nerd Ben, workout freak Chris, and more.  My favorite/funniest characters are Ron (Nick Offerman), Tom, (Aziz Ansari), and Andy (Chris Pratt).

The show changed pretty substantially from the first two seasons to season three and beyond.  I actually really liked the super-awkward style of the first two seasons - maybe even more than the current style - but the new style works very well (finally getting some awards recognition, too).  I have to admit, though, that this season has not been up to the show's standards.  Andy, one of my favorites, has been absent for most of the season, but that doesn't explain everything.  I think it's probably just a slump but, now in its sixth season, perhaps another big shift is needed or the show simply needs to wind down soon.  I'll definitely continue to watch new episodes, though.  And if you have not seen the show yet, I definitely recommend you go through it on Netflix.


Fox

Brooklyn Nine-Nine; New Girl; The Mindy Project
Tuesdays @ 8:30, 9:00, 9:30 PM

I've decided to lump these three back-to-back-to-back shows together - not just because of the scheduling but because of their other similarities.  New Girl is, ironically, the oldest, now in its third season; followed by The Mindy Project in season two; and Brooklyn Nine-Nine started this fall.  All three shows are single-camera comedies (no laugh track), although I'd say Brooklyn is the only one that could qualify as a mockumentary.  New Girl follows three guys (Nick - funniest character, Schmidt - most annoying, and Winston - weirdest) and one girl (Jess) who live together in an L.A. apartment.  The Mindy Project is about a young female doctor and her (mostly work) friends and attempted relationships.  Brooklyn Nine-Nine is about a police precinct starring Andy Samberg as the hotshot (but often screw-up) detective, Andre Braugher as his unamused boss, and supporting cast.

Although I enjoy all three shows, I'm a little worried about them.  New Girl had a great first season, not as good second season, and worse still this year.  Mindy started off great last year, but isn't quite as good this year.  Brooklyn has followed suit with a nice first season so far.  I'm not sure if these shows just inherently don't have great longevity, or if they just aren't being steered very well, since they have all followed a downward trajectory.  General advice for all:  avoid making romantic relationships (esp. if both are main characters) the focus.  Both New Girl and Mindy have done that this year, and it doesn't work.  Each show, while similar in some ways, has its own personality, and I'm hopeful that the writers can sustain or improve them going forward.


AMC

The Walking Dead
Sundays @ 9:00 PM

AMC has gone from just another cable channel to one of the hottest on TV the last few years.  Mad Men  and Breaking Bad (I've seen the first few seasons of Mad Men only; want to catch up on both via Netflix) gave AMC an impressive combination of critical and ratings success.  The Walking Dead has become even more popular - the most watched show on TV in the 18-49 demo, I believe.  The show takes place in a post-apocalyptic Georgia, following deputy Rick Grimes who, after waking from a coma, finds but a few survivors among hordes of zombies.  He miraculously finds his wife and son alive, and joins the group that they were with.  So far, it's mostly been a story of survival, whether it be avoiding the undead, finding food and shelter, or dealing with other group of people.

Season one of The Walking Dead, a mere six episodes, is probably my favorite so far - an extremely tense series of episodes that slowly unveiled the mystery that the show throws you right into the middle of.  Seasons two and three were both good - and also opposites.  Two was perhaps a little too slow, focusing mostly on the emotional impact of living without modern society; while three was perhaps a little too action-packed, with plenty of excitement but losing much of the nuance that marked the show earlier.  Season four has been very good so far, in providing a better combination of exciting action with character development (and my least favorite character is gone!  Yes!).  If you're very squeamish, this might not be the show for you (usually I am, but this doesn't bother me); if not, try it on Netflix.


Other shows I watch occasionally or haven't started new seasons:  Louie (brilliant), SNL (wow, the Bruce Willis episode was horrific; I miss Bill Hader!), Orange Is the New Black (Netflix original; I'm about halfway through the first season, and it's great).

Bottom line:  If you want to follow just two TV shows this fall, I would recommend Modern Family and The Walking Dead.

Movies: Gravity

Score:  **** out of ***** (A-)

Long Story Short:  One of 2013's first big Oscar contenders, Gravity, floats into theaters.  A surprisingly straightforward film (for all its awards fanfare), Gravity seizes your attention by immersing you in its zero gravity environment and following the terrifying action without breaks in the action (or edit) for tension-filled minutes at a time.  Bullock astounds with her physical acting, and Clooney is a comforting presence.  Go see it, in 3D.


Now that we're into October, it's fully fall movie season (although September surprisingly offered up two good films as well).  This is where we get most of the year's best dramas, many of which will show up at 2014's Oscars.  As I've noted, 2012 had a spectacular fall movie season, and hopefully 2013 can impress as well.  For as long as I've known about Gravity, I've heard good things about it; based on the trailer, though, I was confused about what kind of film it was.  Still, the raves kept coming in, and I also found it was directed by Alfonso Cuaron - the director of Children of Men, one of the best movies I've seen, period.  Along with Cuaron's directing, Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

Well, since there's not much of a conventional "plot" to Gravity, and since much of it should be kept secret until you see it, this is going to be a short summary.  We start off in space, with a team from NASA - scientist Ryan Stone (Bullock), astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney), and an engineer.  They are working on a telescope, but it isn't long before they get a warning of impending danger from mission control.  Unlike the approaching rumble of an army or beast, this danger gives no sonic warning (being in space), and soon disaster strikes.  Kowalski locates a frightened Stone in the aftermath, but suddenly space just got a lot bigger and scarier - and the initial disaster will strike them again unless they get back to Earth in time.

Gravity features basically two performances.  The lead is taken by Sandra Bullock as expert scientist but amateur astronaut Dr. Ryan Stone.  Having read about the innovative way they filmed this, I have enormous respect for Bullock (they basically put her in a box for hours and told her to act as if she were in space).  For that technical prowess, Bullock likely deserves an Oscar nomination.  However, hers is not a particularly well developed character - more on that later.  Clooney, in a smaller role, plays confident veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski.  As the shit hits the fan and flies out into space in all directions, Clooney is the one comforting, reassuring part of the situation.  I totally bought him as a hotshot but compassionate astronaut and what he brings to the film is essential.

Based on all the raves I'd been hearing about Gravity, I assumed that it had a large philosophical or character-based component - but no, this is essentially a thriller (albeit a whole new kind).  And that's not a bad thing.  Everything in this film is directly related to the central crisis - there are a few minutes at the beginning and the end that serve as introduction and conclusion, but they are welcome respites from the tension throughout the rest of the film.  The two main elements that make Gravity stand apart are its immersion and continuous editing (which reinforce each other).  The immersion is created by the unique filming mentioned earlier - the actors float through much of the film, and the camera is almost always right on top of them (one particular scene at the beginning has Bullock spinning upside down out of control to a degree that I almost felt sick).  The continuous editing is kind of self-explanatory:  there are entire scenes that consist of one extended shot - in other words, the action doesn't shift to another camera angle or skip crucial seconds of action.  The immersion and continuous editing make for quite an intense experience.

***

While Gravity is "only" a thriller, it is a kind that you've never seen before (see notes about immersive and editing techniques above).  I also went to see it in 3D - forced to, since there was only one 2D showing per day, but I am very glad that I did.  Like Life of Pi, this film actually uses the extra dimension to add realism and depth to the film rather than as a gimmick.  The first two-thirds or so, at least, is just a roller coaster ride - but there were so many new elements that were available to Cuaron, taking place in outer space.  Constantly being feet, inches, or millimeters from the abyss keeps the characters - and audience - in perpetual dread.  Still, not all is perfect with Gravity.  At a certain point - I can't be specific without ruining some things - it starts to lose steam and/or originality.  This is the same point at which Gravity tries to turn toward Stone's past as motivation for her survival.  There just isn't enough to be meaningful or interesting, so it just ends up bogging things down - a totally straightforward survival story would have been preferable.  That's why Gravity falls short of a straight "A".  Still, I highly recommend this film - and don't just see it in the theater, go see it in 3D.

Movies: Don Jon

Score:  **** out of ***** (A-)

Long Story Short:  Don Jon is truly Joseph Gordon-Levitt's film - in addition to being the lead, he wrote and directed it as well.  And under his control, we get a very solid film, equally entertaining and thoughtful.  Gordon-Levitt doesn't tread lightly around the controversial subject of porn, but nor does he gross you out (OK, not too much, anyway); mostly he makes you laugh about it.  Along with a strong script and good performances (esp. from Johansson), this is a film well worth seeing.


Who would have thought?  Two interesting, good movies released in September - and available in my non-city area!  With Gravity coming out this weekend, I'll have at least three consecutive weekends with a movie review, and it could very well keep going.  As for Don Jon, I heard a little blurb about this being written, directed, and starred in by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a preview of 2013 movies.  The little film has finally gotten a wide release after being showcased at film festivals.  I am a fan of Gordon-Levitt's, and with an interesting premise and good reviews (~80% on RT), I decided to give it a try.  In addition to Gordon-Levitt's involvement, Don Jon stars Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore.

Before the primary story breaks out, Jon Martello (Gordon-Levitt) shows and narrates the life he's living.  He's a young man (early/mid-20s?) with a very specific routine in which he conveys manliness to the outside world while his own world is consumed by porn.  Both his friends, who hang out with him at clubs, and his family, who encourage him to start his own family ASAP, drive him to keep up this lifestyle, albeit for opposing reasons.  One night at the club, Jon finds a particularly sexy woman, Barbara (Johansson), but she refuses to go home with him.  Still, Jon determinedly pursues Barbara over the next few weeks, and eventually goes on a date with her.

It isn't long before Jon is disappointed despite getting to date his "dream girl"; Jon finds himself returning to porn, and she has her own not-so-secret obsessions.  Jon begins to go to night classes to try to improve their relationship, but he doesn't fit in with the people there - including an older single woman (Moore) who seems attracted to him - and he becomes even more dissatisfied.  Something's gotta give - you'll just have to see what it is!

Don Jon has an impressive, charismatic cast that's well-suited to the tone of the film.  Gordon-Levitt is the lead as "Don" Jon Martello, and he does a very good job.  Yes, the film is in part rom-com, for which Gordon-Levitt's natural charm is a good fit, but he is just as effective in portraying a realistic, horny young man.  He's perhaps a little too earnest to ever be an elite actor, but his style works here and provides some great humor (describing his porn habits in his macho-infused, unironic way of speaking, for example).  Scarlett Johansson does perhaps the best acting I've ever seen from her, playing girlfriend Barbara.  She has all the little details of her character down perfectly, from the accent to the body language.  Without giving anything away, I was expecting her character to develop one way and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't - to Scarlett and the script's credit.

Julianne Moore, one of the best actresses around at the moment, does well as night student Esther.  She manages to combine her character's life experience with an equally deep sense of loneliness and a little insecurity, too.  Although I found Joseph and Scarlett's character's more interesting, Julianne makes hers as good as it can be.  Tony Danza plays Jon's father, and is another good fit.  He doesn't really stand apart from other similar working-class fathers (de Niro's character in Silver Linings Playbook came to my mind), but he provides good humor.  Finally, watch for some brief but hilarious cameos from other stars in clips from some fake films.

Like Prisoners, Don Jon has two main objectives in mind; here, it's to be both romantic comedy and dramatic analysis of media's affect on our lives.  The romantic comedy part is to be purely entertaining and draw in couples (which seemed to work at the show I went to); the best part of this is that Don Jon ends up subverting the rom-com genre expectations - not completely, but still more than enough for me.  The more interesting, serious (although humor is appropriately, effectively used, too) part is the less glamorous portrayal of everyday life (mostly from Jon's young-man perspective, but also some commentary on women's lives, too).  Gordon-Levitt smartly replays the routines of Jon's life using key details (eg: the hum of a computer turning on) to symbolize repetition - a repetition, by the way, that does not get tiresome.  Don Jon shows that we can get mentally and emotionally addicted to not just specific activities (porn), but also to plain old routine itself.

***

As Gordon-Levitt's debut as the director and writer of a feature film - not to mention its star, too - Don Jon is a very impressive achievement.  I enjoy him in just about everything I see - from 3rd Rock to Looper to The Dark Knight Rises - and now he shows great promise behind the camera, too.  The editing, writing and filming all display professionalism; although you could argue that the emphasis on routine in the story is a crutch for him to lean on (so that he didn't have to come up with something new each frame), the film works and that's all I care about.  The running time is also just about perfect at about an hour and a half.  A few things drag Don Jon down, such as threads that go nowhere and elements that seem superfluous, at least in how they're handled in the film (his religious faith).  And while Jon's addiction to porn is realistic, he could have used a few more flaws to make it even more believable (at times you can almost seem him think, "gosh, if I just weren't addicted to porn, I'd be perfect!").  Still, Don Jon moves at a good, entertaining clip, with charismatic performances, good humor, and some interesting bits for your brain to chew on.  Highly recommended.