I hate it when people die. It's seriously the worst feeling possible. You feel like somebody's just delivered a sucker punch to your chest, and you start breathing so fast and your heart suddenly feels like it's as heavy as a brick inside you. This happened today when I heard that Bernie Mac had died. Now, don't get me wrong, I was never exactly a huge fan of his, but just hearing that somebody you've seen in so many movies has died is really terrible. Plus he was 50, and that's way too young to pass. I loved him in the Ocean's Eleven movies, and he made a hilarious Bosley in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. I also really liked his Fox show a couple of years back, which I remember being a casual viewer of.

Like Heath Ledger at the time of his death, Bernie had two movies awaiting release, the comedies Soul Men and Old Dogs. I read today that after surviving an illness a couple of years back, he vowed to spend more time around his family and loved ones, instead of putting his career first. It's great to think that he won't be regretting any choices he made in the last years of his life, knowing that he dedicated his time to the most important people in his life.

Rest in peace, Bernie Mac.

X Marks the Sequel
This review doesn't contain any major spoilers, so feel free to read if you haven't seen it yet.

I saw The X-Files: I Want to Believe last night and, seemingly like the rest of the country, was a little underwhelmed. First things though: I loved Mulder and Scully. Even after all these years David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson still have this palpable chemistry together, and their relationship (or lack thereof) is definitely at the center of the movie. Chris Carter actually gives Scully a lot more to do in this movie than Mulder (possibly to make up for taking her out of the action for most of the first X-Files movie), and her resistance to revisit her old career, her interaction with Father Joe and the critically-ill patient subplot all give Gillian Anderson the best material to work with.

The actual mystery itself is an odd choice for the movie. It's not anything to do with aliens, UFOs or conspiracies (a blessing, in my opinion) but it's not really similar to any of those old monster-of-the-week episodes either, instead being a pretty ordinary organ harvesting thriller with a glimmer of science-fiction thrown in (two headed dogs!). Couple that with a pair of shamefully under-developed villains, and it's more than a little disappointing. One of the on-set photographs released to throw off the audience when the movie was filming showed somebody wearing a giant werewolf suit, and you can't help but wonder how much better the movie would have been if Mulder and Scully investigated something like that instead.

The supporting cast is pretty non-existent. Both Amanda Peet and Xzibit are miscast and barely memorable as the FBI agents who bring Mulder and Scully back into the fold, while only Billy Connolly makes an impression as a psychic priest, even if his character isn't hugely original.

The limited budget is all too often seen on screen, especially in one major death scene which I'm guessing was supposed to be the big shocker of the movie, left a little comical due to the bad special effects. Plus the finale lacks any tension of "wow" factor that is pretty much essential in a movie like this.

While I enjoyed seeing Mulder and Scully again, the movie itself just didn't feel special. Sure, it's pretty consistent and entertaining (and yards better than the sucky show finale), but I'm not sure the script Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz handed in to Fox really justified actually funding this. A dozen rewrites would have helped...

Footnote: Stay behind until the end of the credits, as you'll hear not only a really catchy song but also get a little surprise too.

Lady In Red
I uploaded a new banner a couple of days ago, using one of the posters for Red Sonja that was revealed at Comic Con. Rose looks great, can't wait for it.

So, I saw The Dark Knight last night and, along with pretty much the rest of the country, came away pretty happy. Here are my non-spoilerish thoughts, which help comprise a really teeny blog, but whatever...

Holy Awesomeness, Batman!
I'm gonna start off with saying that I wasn't a fan of Batman Begins. In fact, I really disliked it. I know I'm in a tiny minority with that view, but I seriously thought it was one of the most overlong, forgettable movies I'd seen in years. With that in mind, I was very surprised at how great The Dark Knight was. Christopher Nolan goes against type by setting the film in a world far removed from the stylistic comic book cities glimpsed in pretty much every other comic book movie, with Gotham City looking a lot more real than the comical darkness of Burton's Gotham or the ridiculously over-the-top designs of Schumacher's. Couple this with his almost total reliance on non-CGI effects; Nolan has made this world far more real than any other Batman movie, which only heightened my sense of fear while watching. Heath Ledger's heavily-publicized last role is undoubtedly awesome, making The Joker somebody so grotesque in his insanity and his pleasure in creating pain. I loved his extremely dark humor (his "pencil trick" comes to mind), and that gross way he kept licking his lips throughout the movie. Elsewhere, Aaron Eckhart also really impressed in a less showy but just as earnest portrayal of the movie's other bad guy. Unlike The Joker's skirted-over backstory, we're made completely aware of Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face, and it's actually pretty depressing to watch a brave, socially-aware "white knight of Gotham" become something altogether... wrong. Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine were great in their supporting roles, while Maggie Gyllenhaal was a great addition to the franchise, even if her role was just as underwritten as Batman Begins's Rachel. I don't get the hate for her acting though, since I thought she was pretty great all the way through, especially in one major scene that actually made we a little weepy (of course, I won't elaborate). The supporting cast also really impressed me, from Eric Roberts's sleazy mob boss to the police detective clearly modeled after Renee Montoya. One major gripe I had with the movie though was Christian Bale. Granted, he's a perfect Bruce Wayne, but that insanely deep voice as Batman just makes me laugh instead of cower in fear like it's probably intended to. One part that actually made me giggle was when Bruce (in costume) was talking to Lucius in their underground BatGadget warehouse. Hello, Bruce! He knows you're Batman, why talk all "in character" when you're around him? It just came off a little silly is all. But that was seriously the only issue I had with this film.

What Christopher Nolan has created is a movie that shouldn't really be pigeon-holed as a "comic book movie". If you removed the batsuit and made Bruce Wayne a cop or something, this would pretty much be a straight-forward thriller in the vein of Michael Mann or Scorsese. This should also be kept in mind for parents out there, since The Dark Knight is far removed from movies like Iron Man or Fantastic Four. This is dark, nasty and brutal. People die left, right and center, including major characters, and good rarely triumphs over evil. It's depressing and bleak-as-hell, but it's also a truly excellent movie. Despite being 150 minutes long, the pace never lets up and you're never left bored. Is it the best movie ever made, like the IMDb Top 250 list proclaims? A big fat "no"! But it's by far the best movie this summer so far. Innovative and tense, and a must see.

Hero to Zero
In pretty belated news that I'm sure everybody knows already, Hayden Panettiere has launched her own singing career (*snore*). Seriously, what is it with these teen celebrities who can't just stick with one job? Why can't you just act, or just sing. I probably wouldn't be so whiny if Hayden actually released a good song, but no. If you're a regular reader of my blogs, you'd remember I was a deeply closeted fan (okay, not a "fan", but more of the "sure, it's pleasant" variety) of Paris Hilton's short-lived music career. If you'd managed to block out her video debut, Stars Are Blind, then threaten your eardrums by reminding yourself here, before listening to Hayden's video here. Am I wrong in thinking they sound exactly the same? But with Hayden's having none of the trashy catchiness of Paris's. The same faux-reggae beats, but with that added nonsensical rap part. Eeek. Word of advice, Hayden, don't quit your day job.

Golden Girl
RIP Estelle Getty. I was never a fan of The Golden Girls but my Mom was, so she's pretty saddened by her death. She'll live forever in reruns and continue to bring joy to many people.

Short blog this week, but I'm in a pretty non-place lately. It's summer, it's relaxed and fun and it's all good. I'm just biding my time until college and enjoying every day as it comes.

My City Screams
You can keep your Dark Knight's, or your Hellboy's, the superhero flick I'm majorly psyched for this year is none other than The Spirit, Frank Miller's controversial take on Will Eisner's retro masked detective. I've only recently became a fan of The Spirit through Darywn Cooke's comic update, but I already love the character and the world he occupies. The story revolves around Denny Colt, who comes back from the dead as a masked avenger of all things evil known as "The Spirit". The trailer for the upcoming movie has just been leaked to the internet, and surprisingly everybody's hating on it. Yes, it's ridunkulously over-stylized and, yes, it pretty much looks like Sin City 2, but am I pretty much the only one who completely loves it so far? We've got stunning visuals, stunning ladies and a cool song. Samuel L Jackson's wardrobe is a little crazy, but the rest just looks so great. The dialogue is caught somewhere in the middle of campy (the "Hands behind your head" part) and hilariously awesome ("Shut up and bleed!"), the femme fatales all look gorgeous (especially Paz Vega's dancer girl - yowza!), and I love the use of background color in both The Spirit's scene with Ellen and the shots of Samuel L with that giant ninja sword. Personally I love it, but that seems to be a big unpopular opinion right now. So check it out and judge for yourself.

EDIT Woops, looks like LionsGate have forced all major sites to take down the trailer, unfortunately. If you actually want to see it I'm sure it'll pop up somewhere eventually. Just keep refreshing YouTube, maybe?



Nipped/Tucked
It's been announced that Nip/Tuck will end after the next two seasons, bringing the show to a total of 100 episodes. We'll get the 8-episode sixth season in January, and the 19-episode seventh season in early 2011. Surprisingly, I'm not devastated at all. I love the show, so I'm a little saddened, but I'm happy that FX has given them an end-point in sight (hopefully ABC's treatment of Lost has set a benchmark for major series), and I'm excited that Ryan Murphy is staying with the show until the end, as he'd originally stated he'd leave after the next 8 episodes. But I'm guessing Pretty Handsome's demise changed his mind. All in all, I'm only more excited now. I really miss the show when it's off the air, so I can't wait for January to see the beginning of the end. Also, whenever major cable shows end, all the actors are usually approached for a whole bunch of new series (the casts of Six Feet Under and The Wire for instance) so I'm eager to see what'll happen next for Julian, Joely, Kelly and the rest.

That's all this blog. I'm thinking of doing some kind of new countdown for my next blog, so keep a look out for it.

Apologies for not posting a new blog for over two weeks. I don't know what happened, time just flew past recently. Anyway, better late than never, right?

Pretty Awesome
This week I downloaded Pretty Handsome, the pilot for an FX series centered on a transgendered man played by Joseph Fiennes. Created by Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck), the show wasn't picked up to series, meaning downloading is the only way we'll ever see this. Here's my review:

I'm truly disappointed that FX decided not to pick this show up. Proving that he can do so much more than the hyper-reality of Nip/Tuck, Ryan Murphy has crafted this moving and uncompromising work of drama that left me pretty rattled. With three of Nip/Tuck's most interesting characters (Ava, Cherry, Sofia) being transgendered, it's unsurprising Bob Fitzpayne is just as intriguing, as we learn about the journey he has made in his life so far and how he is slowly coming to terms with his true identity. From his childhood fascination with his mother's clothes to his pleasure at being able to dress up as a woman for Halloween, Bob is a powerful character, even if I'm unsure whether this is realistically portraying transgendered individuals, since I've never met one. The rest of the supporting cast is just as great, in particular Carrie-Anne Moss's depressed Elizabeth. I would ordinarily never use this comparison, but she seriously reminded me of Meryl Streep in some of her scenes, especially with Beckett. I also loved her line explaining her feelings about her marriage: "You can leave and be alone, or you can stay and be lonely". The actress playing transsexual Mario was also unbelievably great, and her final scene was brutally real. It's unfortunate few people will get to see the wonderful performances here, and the fine supporting cast which included Robert Wagner, Blythe Danner, Sarah Paulson and Niecy Nash. The only problem I had with the pilot was the occasional use of hand-held camera in some scenes. I don't know if it was out of place or just something I personally didn't like, but it's pretty unimportant since I would have probably gotten used to it if the show was picked up. A really great pilot which would have worked well alongside FX's other groundbreaking series like Damages or 30 Days. I sincerely recommend you download it.
Rating A

2007-2008 TV Review
WARNING!! These reviews contain spoilers for the whole season of whatever show is being reviewed, so beware if you haven't seen every episode. This is the last of my TV reviews, with the remainder of the show coupled together in a little section I like to call "Others".

By far the best comedy around, 30 Rock blows me away every episode. An impressive second season filled with just as many quick-fire gags that made the latter half of season one so addictive and memorable. Besides Jerry Seinfeld, the guest stars were inspired (loved Matthew Broderick's Cooter, and Edie Falco) and the pinnacle of the season, MILF Island, was genius ("De-bore-ah" still cracks me up). The show is also anchored by this instantly likable cast, from sweet-natured Liz to the manic Tracy to the plain crazy Jack. It's a really wonderful show, and I kinda like that it's so unwatched. As long as NBC keeps renewing it, I'll be happy with being one of only a small number of extremely dedicated viewers. It's the epitome of cult TV. Rating A

America's Next Top Model is one of those shows that has completely lost any credibility it once had with me. These past two cycles have been particularly noteworthy in confirming that it's just like every other tacky elimination reality show. Tyra no longer choose winners based on actual ability, only girls that make her look good. Isn't Tyra sweet, letting one of her old buddies coast through despite her behavior and take the title? Isn't Tyra a beautiful human, letting a plus-size girl finally win? Snore. Both winners blew, and Tyra herself (whenever she appears) just gets worse every year. Hypocritical, irritating, condescending and with a huge superiority complex, she just bugs. On the plus side, I loved Paulina, loved that they came back to New York, and loved Lisa Cycle 9. Rating Cycle 9: C- Cycle 10: C

Two Sex and the City knock-offs debuted this season and, being the loser that I am, I tuned into both of them. Cashmere Mafia had the better cast, but ultimately took a creative nosedive after a strong start. Lipstick Jungle, on the other hand, started badly but eventually got a lot better. Plus I really like Brooke Shields, so the show always kinda had the edge. Only one of them is back next season but, frankly, I wouldn't have exactly been devastated if they both got canned. Rating Cashmere: D+ Lipstick: C

Curb Your Enthusiasm's surprise sixth season started badly, but eventually reached a level that was both charmingly zany and sweetly earnest. Larry and Cheryl's break-up produced some really moving moments, and all the interaction between Larry and the Black's was hilarious, with both JB Smoove's Leon and Vivica A. Fox's Loretta in particular really great additions to the show. And for some reason, Larry ending up with a straight-talkin' chain-smokin' black chick just feels right goddammit! Rating B

How I Met Your Mother had a very strong year, successfully bringing back Robin Sparkles (without appearing desperate) and introducing Sarah Chalke who I hadn't seen since Roseanne and really blew me away in her comic timing and undeniable likability. The show needs to be careful in its stunt casting though, since, as Will & Grace can tell you, when celebrity non-actors keep showing up in sometimes pointless cameos, it detracts from reality and just brings the whole show down. Rating B

Medium kinda disappointed me this season. While the show in general is still really entertaining, there was part of me that felt the writers are running out of ideas. Still, I loved that the show had the guts to really shake things up, and Anjelica Huston was truly awesome in her arc (especially in the two-parter Wicked Game). The same can't be said for Kelly Preston though, who just acted so "blah" in her bunch of episodes. Whatever the quality of the episodes though, I can't help but love and look forward to the show when it's on. Rating B-

Coming Attractions
With my 2007-2008 season reviews all done, here's a list of upcoming new series I'm eagerly anticipating...

Like everyone else who's sane, I'm completely stoked about the big ol' Joss/Eliza/Amy reunion Dollhouse which premieres midseason on FOX. I'm expecting a show that's the complete antithesis to Joss's previous shows, something a little darker and realistic than shows about vampires or spaceships. Of course, I'm worried about how audiences will respond to that, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see whether it hits. Fringe is FOX's other big sci-fi show next season, and since it's from JJ Abrams I'll obviously tune in. But there's been a lot of negative buzz from people that have viewed the leaked pilot, which worries me. JJ shows usually hook you in right from the start of the pilot (both Alias and Lost blew me away with their first episodes), so I'm a little worried about that. But I'll wait and judge for myself. FX's big new show is Sons of Anarchy which, judging by the trailers, looks a little more Shield than Dirt. Ordinarily I wouldn't tune into a show like this, but the cast (including Mad Men's Maggie Siff, Katey Sagal and Hellboy himself Ron Perlman) are enough to raise my interest. NBC's Kath & Kim sounds fun, and the casting of Molly Shannon and Selma Blair (who I luff!) as mother and daughter is great. My Own Worst Enemy on NBC also sounds pretty intriguing, with Christian Slater as an ordinary family man who discovers that he subconsciously becomes a different person every once in a while who happens to be a spy. Or something like that. It sounds a little out there but I love the casting of Slater, Saffron Burrows and Alfre Woodard. Last but not least is CBS's midseason horror Harper's Island, which strangely is getting a lot of Scream comparisons, with a group of hot young twenty-somethings getting bumped off every week by a mystery killer on a mysterious island. It'll probably blow, but I'm totally there for the pilot at least.