Saturday, September 26, 2009

Whip It!: Feel good hit of the fall?



I walked out of the preview screening of Whip It! feeling everything that I'm pretty sure I was supposed to be feeling: empowered, exhilarated, and wishing I could kick as much ass as a derby girl. Drew Barrymore's directorial debut is a feel-good story that focuses not on romance, but on being satisfied in your own achievements.

Ellen Page stars as Bliss, an earnest teenager who wants to break away from her overbearing mother, who believes that the best way to get out of their small town is to become a beauty pageant queen. It's an underdog story, yes, but who doesn't love an underdog story? Her ticket to freedom comes from joining a roller derby team in and being surrounded by mold-breaking people who are unlike anyone she has ever met before. The laughs come one after another, the skating scenes are sharply edited, and, the soundtrack features hits from the Strokes, MGMT, Jens Lekman, and Kings Of Leon. (For the record, the Kings Of Leon song is "Knocked Up," not any of the tripe from Only By The Night.)

This is a film by women, starring women. It also showcases female capability; the tagline is "Be Your Own Hero," after all. While there is a romantic subplot featuring a local indie rocker, getting the guy is nowhere near as important as being strong and independent. Best friend Pash and derby team the Hurl Scouts provide Bliss with the support that she needs to come into her own. The lively cast propels the story, with plenty of humor along the way. It's not a movie that takes itself too seriously, though it would be difficult to, considering that it features characters who give themselves monikers such as "Bloody Holly," "Iron Maven," and "Smashley Simpson." What it does do is present a great message in a hilarious, well-crafted package. Whip It! is exactly what's needed to combat the frail, powerless version of femininity that is perpetuated in Twilight.

In the words of the Hurl Scouts’ Coach Razor, "Go getcha some."

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Glee is the word

Everyone loves a story about outsiders, because almost everyone's felt like an outsider at some point. Such is the case with Glee's gang of misfit toys, with a new lesson about how It's Okay To Be Different dispensed every Wednesday night. Quite frankly, Glee still seems like a bog-standard high school underdog story, but I still feel compelled to watch it and wring my hands and shout "YOU LYING BITCH!" at the screen. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that they shouldn't promote acceptance, but there's a difference between making a TV show and making a 40-minute-long PSA. Sometimes the cheesiness makes me want to reach for a loaf of bread and a George Foreman Grill. Still, there are redeeming elements. In spite of the nagging, manipulative women that they keep company with, Will and Finn contribute enough charm and charisma to keep me watching every week. Emma's not too bad either, although her primary characteristics seem to be germophobia and a Charlotte Charles wardrobe. In general, Glee still seems to be figuring out which direction it wants to take, and I'm going to keep following it until it finds that out.

In other news, there's a new teaser clip for Merlin 2x02, and Spaced is ten years old today. Also, "Uprising" by Muse sounds remarkably like Goldfrapp.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

TV mini-reviews: Bored To Death, Gossip Girl, The Big Bang Theory



Bored To Death 1x01
It's Jason Schwartzman doing an HBO show, so I knew it was going to be good. I may have set my expectations a little too high, but I think it's going to get better as it progresses. Schwartzman plays Jonathan Ames, a struggling writer who begins working as an unlicensed private detective on a whim with the help of his favorite detective novels. The aesthetics are crisp, the humor is deadpan and witty, and I can't wait to see where this goes and how the characters develop. A Schwartzman-penned theme song doesn't hurt, either.

Gossip Girl 3x02
This episode was all about the tables being turned, except for Serena, of course. I'm not sure why I'm trying to review something that I don't actually take seriously, other than that insomnia does amazing things. I will say, however, that this show has some really great montages. They're always well-edited and fit together perfectly and help to compensate for things like references to "the Bass cave."

The Big Bang Theory 3x01
I have nothing to say about this other than that Leonard needs to learn about bros before hos.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Merlin 2x01: The Curse Of Cornelius Sigan

While the Doctor's away, strange creatures still reign on BBC Saturday nights with Merlin. The second series of the surprise hit debuted tonight, with "The Curse Of Cornelius Sigan."

The four stars of the show now all have a bit more experience under their belts, and it shows, at least with Colin Morgan (Merlin) and Bradley James (Arthur), considering that Katie McGrath (Morgana) and Angel Coulby (Gwen) got a combined total of about two minutes of screen time. The young medieval heroes are back in fine form, with plenty of the usual homoerotic subtext in the mix. There's plenty of Merlin acting like a jealous high school girlfriend when Arthur's attentions are drawn away from him, while Arthur is still every bit the kid in elementary school who expressed crushes through pigtail-pulling.

I think I just had the revelation that Merlin and Arthur are like Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe.

Anyways, jellied staplers aside, Mackenzie Crook guest-starred in this episode. I was never into Pirates Of The Caribbean, so I'm only familiar with his work on Skins and, of course, The Office. He was a good villain, certainly more psychological than physical. It's a shame that this wasn't a two-part storyline, it would have been nice to see more of him. This was a story that could have easily been spread across two weeks. Hopefully we'll get a multi-part plotline at some point instead of having this monster-of-the-week routine. While the first series had the running thread of Nimueh, we never saw the words "To Be Continued." Still, I'm looking forward to these new adventures, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Friday, September 11, 2009

A Single Man trailer



This looks visually stunning, for more reasons than one, but what else could we expect from Tom Ford? Everyone looks flawless, and the color palette seems spot-on for the 60s. I can't wait to see this film. With Matthew Goode, Lee Pace, and Nicholas Hoult, how could I not?

Also, it will be interesting to see how much coverage the gay kiss will get. Despite the visibility of Watchmen, Matthew Goode isn't particularly high-profile, though Colin Firth more than balances that out. While it's obviously going to be talked about, hopefully more people have figured out since Jake and Heath that gay scenes don't have to be a big deal.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future



One of my favorite bands, Los Campesinos!, have a new song available as a free download. It's a more mature departure from their previously established sound, but has all of their typical cleverness.

Gleeking Out

I forgot to mention this in my fall TV round-up, but the highly anticipated Glee starts tonight. I watched the preview episode, and despite finding it remarkably like every other high school underdog story ever, I feel compelled to watch it. It might just be the internet hive mind getting to me, or the fact that I couldn't help but listen to the cast's rendition of "Push It" on repeat last night. I'm hoping that this show can charm its way past just being another teen dramedy featuring actors portraying characters who are ten years their junior.

From what was seen in the preview, Glee seems like it needs time to reach its full potential. Sassy Black Diva and Asian Goth Chick Who Probably Loves Anime? Seriously? Hopefully these characters will develop with time and become more than just stereotypes.

At any rate, it has to be better than Vampire Diaries.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Merlin series 2 trailer



So, Gwen and Arthur, eh? Obviously, it had to happen. I'm curious as to when it will happen, given that so far they have had about three conversations together. Additionally, the characters don't seem like a good fit right now, but who am I to judge? It seems like Merlin's giving both characters the push that they need to balance each other better, with Arthur growing more sentimental and Gwen getting more daring. At this point, Arthur and Morgana have much better chemistry with each other. I hope that the kiss is from a dream sequence, because otherwise it would seriously throw off the pacing of the show.

Regardless of how many other people they kiss, Merlin and Arthur will always be "two sides of the same coin."

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Geeky Dreamboats

Someone out there has compiled a book of "Geeky Dreamboats." The examples provided are Michael Cera, Daniel Radcliffe, the Jonas Brothers, and Flight of the Conchords.

Michael Cera? Uh, he always plays geeks and he always plays himself, so I guess he can stay. Plus, he's just wrapped up filming a comic book movie, which he was apparently already a fan of when he was cast. However, I hesitate to apply the "dreamboat" label, although this is subject to further contemplation once he looks like he has hit puberty.

Daniel Radcliffe? Free pass, he's Harry freakin' Potter.

Jonas Brothers? Get out right now. As far as I know, there is absolutely no basis in referring to them as "geeky," and I wish I knew much less about the Jonas Brothers than I actually do.

Flight of the Conchords possess sugalumps that I would check out any day.

Suggestions for improving this list, in order by surname:
--Colin Morgan. He makes Merlin the most adorable medieval wizard of all time, and his dream role is a character from a Terry Pratchett book. He also has dorky giant ears.
--Chris Pine, aka Chris Fine, aka Captain Fine. He's James Tiberius Kirk and he will not hesitate to punch you in the face. Additionally, he went to Berkeley and studied all the time, which is definitely dreamy in my book.
--Zachary Quinto. Admittedly, I've never seen him in anything besides Star Trek XI, but that clearly qualifies him.
--Jason Schwartzman. He possesses a great amount of je ne sais quoi in the geekiness department. Is it the way he looks in giant nerdy glasses? Is it the way he sounds while voicing a woodland animal with a sock on its head? The world may never know.
--David Tennant. He portrays one of the best-loved figures of science fiction, as well as having been in a Harry Potter movie. He is also lanky and enjoys licking things and doesn't freak out when finding out that he is the subject of a great quantity of pornographic fanfiction.
--Aidan Turner. He makes it okay for vampires to be able to go out into the sunlight without burning or causing the sparklepocalypse.
--Anton Yelchin. Having participated in two wildly popular sci-fi franchises, he is definitely qualified for the list. There was also that great scene in "Charlie Bartlett" where, as the titular character, he does his homework while on Ritalin.