The much-hyped film lived up to expectations and was just flat-out fun.
First, a little background on me and Star Wars. I enjoyed the original trilogy, particularly The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I was "eh" on The Phantom Menace, never saw Attack of the Clones, and really liked Revenge of the Sith. I think it's fair to say I'm a casual fan of the series.
Still, even though I've never been head-over-heels crazy about Star Wars, I absolutely got chills during the opening credits. The beginning notes of the familiar theme music really hit me with a gigantic sense of "WOW!", and for the first time, I began to understand what a truly major event this film was. This story was set in motion about 38 years ago with the intent of setting up a nine-episode saga. Think about that. 38 years. That's well older than I am. We're not quite talking about a situation in which each of the most recent three generations gets their own Star Wars trilogy to call their own, but there's probably been plenty of eight year-olds sitting in the theater, experiencing the saga for the first time along with their grandparents who at one point in their lives thought A New Hope was the damn coolest thing they'd ever seen on the big screen. This is a really big deal.
As implied by the title of the post, I don't want to give anything away related to the plot, but there's plenty of great things to say about the series' new primary triumvirate of characters, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Rey (Daisy Ridley), and Finn (John Boyega). I guess Driver's on Girls or something, but by and large, this is a trio of relatively unknown actors, all of whom delivered exceptional performances, particularly Boyega. While I found Finn the most compelling, Rey gave the primarily male-dominated Star Wars saga a much-needed female heroine, and she was nothing short of a badass.
As one might expect, there's plenty of nods and winks to the previous trilogies and some neat easter eggs as well (amusingly, Daniel Craig voices a storm trooper with code name JB 007). And of course, they brought back old characters from Episodes IV - VI, most prominently Han Solo and Chewbacca. Harrison Ford may be an old dude at this point, but he still has excellent screen presence and it was a delight to watch him reprise his role.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Episodes I - III trilogy was the rigid, humorless dialogue. There's pretty much no denying that the screenplay of the first three movies (or at least the two of them that I saw) was nothing short of a dumpster fire. The writing for The Force Awakens has a lot more life to it, and although there's more of a flavor of "modern American dialect", at least it no longer sounds like a bunch of stodgy wealthy people from the 1800s drawling their way through actionless scenes.
Then again, maybe the constant action in the movie (compared to its predecessors) helped in this regard. The Force Awakens is a real speed rap of an adventure and there's a relative lack of scenes that need to be carried by people simply speaking to one another in a calm setting. The film does a good job of "showing, not telling" to develop the characters for the audience. If that was a conscious decision, it was a good one.
Overall, the movie was a great experience and a worthy sequel to one of the greatest film sagas of all time. I suppose at this point it's pretty worthless to suggest that people should see this film because I'm the one who's late to the party. Sure, there was the occasional bit I didn't like, but to discuss the movie's imperfections at any length in this summary would be a disservice to something that should rightfully be considered a rousing success.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Television Review - 2015 (Part 4)
And now, I'll go ahead and conclude my list of my favorite five TV viewing experiences of the past year.
1. South Park (Season 19)
I've always been a South Park fan, but it's usually just a standard show I enjoy and aside from the occasional standout episode, nothing I'd consider truly great. I can't think of another year in which I'd put South Park in my top five, let alone at number one. This season was an entirely different animal.
For those who haven't paid attention to South Park in a long time, or are just vaguely aware of what it's about, the show has evolved significantly from being just about a bunch of poorly-animated third-graders swearing and laughing at fart jokes. To stay fresh, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have veered away from the oft-goofy plots from the first several seasons and have increasingly focused on the satirical aspect of the show. Their ability to create an episode in just a few days' worth of time allows them to zero in on current events shortly after they take place. Over time, they've become absolute masters at social commentary, and Season 19 represents their finest work to-date.
Season 19 began with the introduction of a new principal at South Park Elementary, a buff Oakley-wearing recent college grad committed to social justice and emblematic of all things "bro". His name? "PC Principal". PC Principal aggressively and violently combats even the slightest failure to demonstrate political correctness, such as beating the shit out of student Eric Cartman for saying "spokesman" instead of "spokesperson". He's a spectacular satire of today's "outrage culture" that has gotten completely out of control, in which people seem to be looking for ways to get pissed off and chest-puffy in response to pretty innocuous things. Of course, PC Principal is portrayed as a piece of shit who causes more harm (and even hate crimes) than he prevents. He and his PC "bros" are more interested in making it look like they stand for something and belittling other people than actually effecting positive change. Nail on the head.
Rallying against political correctness is nothing new to South Park, so what makes this (and I suppose Season 18) different than earlier seasons of the show is serialization. South Park used to be mostly a string of standalone episodes, but Season 19 is sort of like watching a 3-4 hour movie, divided into ten segments. The new format allows them to take the satire of PC culture and spin it into something bigger. And spin it, they did.
For example, South Park implies that the PC obsession has in part given rise to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, as outrage culture provokes a corresponding response in those it rallies against. It draws a parallel between PC culture and the recent gentrification trend in America's towns and cities, which creates an atmosphere of smugness and self-importance. In one episode, PC Principal tasks a student with scouring the social media posts of other students and even some celebrities to remove all of the negative criticisms, creating a veritable safe space on the internet for those too thin-skinned to handle it ("Lena Dunham just put a picture of her asshole on Twitter and only wants the positive comments"). Everyone wants to look good publicly; whether everyone wants to actually be good is of (distant) secondary importance.
Pervasiveness of advertisements, gun control, ISIS, police brutality, all of it gets woven into the rich tapestry of Season 19, and no one is safe from scathing portrayals, not even those damn charity-shaming Whole Foods checkout employees. That's what's great about South Park -- it mocks everyone and both sides of every major social issue, and that sort of nuance is something we don't see from anyone in news, social media, or even other television shows. South Park doesn't have an underlying political agenda, and its only real message is that we're all idiots, idiots who are convinced we know what's best for ourselves, others, and society while not even entertaining the idea that we could learn a little something from those who disagree with us.
Oh, and I'd be remiss not to mention that the series of episodes leading up to Season 19's conclusion was probably the most compelling South Park has ever been from a plot standpoint. I was giddy with anticipation after the penultimate episode to see how they'd wind up the season. Unfortunately, the season finale disappointed me to a degree with how quickly it had to wind everything up (tackling gun control and wrapping up the larger PC Principal-based narrative of the season proved to be too much for a 23-minute episode). Fortunately, it looks like some storylines will carry over to next year and get the conclusions they deserve (the finale all but confirmed PC Principal will return and that they're setting up coverage of the 2016 election). It's damn impressive that this show hit new highs in its 19th season, and I'm extremely excited to see what Parker and Stone have in store for us next year.
Essential Episodes: Where My Country Gone (s.19 ep.2), Safe Space (s.19 ep.5), Sponsored Content (s.19 ep.8)
1. South Park (Season 19)
I've always been a South Park fan, but it's usually just a standard show I enjoy and aside from the occasional standout episode, nothing I'd consider truly great. I can't think of another year in which I'd put South Park in my top five, let alone at number one. This season was an entirely different animal.
For those who haven't paid attention to South Park in a long time, or are just vaguely aware of what it's about, the show has evolved significantly from being just about a bunch of poorly-animated third-graders swearing and laughing at fart jokes. To stay fresh, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have veered away from the oft-goofy plots from the first several seasons and have increasingly focused on the satirical aspect of the show. Their ability to create an episode in just a few days' worth of time allows them to zero in on current events shortly after they take place. Over time, they've become absolute masters at social commentary, and Season 19 represents their finest work to-date.
Season 19 began with the introduction of a new principal at South Park Elementary, a buff Oakley-wearing recent college grad committed to social justice and emblematic of all things "bro". His name? "PC Principal". PC Principal aggressively and violently combats even the slightest failure to demonstrate political correctness, such as beating the shit out of student Eric Cartman for saying "spokesman" instead of "spokesperson". He's a spectacular satire of today's "outrage culture" that has gotten completely out of control, in which people seem to be looking for ways to get pissed off and chest-puffy in response to pretty innocuous things. Of course, PC Principal is portrayed as a piece of shit who causes more harm (and even hate crimes) than he prevents. He and his PC "bros" are more interested in making it look like they stand for something and belittling other people than actually effecting positive change. Nail on the head.
Rallying against political correctness is nothing new to South Park, so what makes this (and I suppose Season 18) different than earlier seasons of the show is serialization. South Park used to be mostly a string of standalone episodes, but Season 19 is sort of like watching a 3-4 hour movie, divided into ten segments. The new format allows them to take the satire of PC culture and spin it into something bigger. And spin it, they did.
For example, South Park implies that the PC obsession has in part given rise to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, as outrage culture provokes a corresponding response in those it rallies against. It draws a parallel between PC culture and the recent gentrification trend in America's towns and cities, which creates an atmosphere of smugness and self-importance. In one episode, PC Principal tasks a student with scouring the social media posts of other students and even some celebrities to remove all of the negative criticisms, creating a veritable safe space on the internet for those too thin-skinned to handle it ("Lena Dunham just put a picture of her asshole on Twitter and only wants the positive comments"). Everyone wants to look good publicly; whether everyone wants to actually be good is of (distant) secondary importance.
Pervasiveness of advertisements, gun control, ISIS, police brutality, all of it gets woven into the rich tapestry of Season 19, and no one is safe from scathing portrayals, not even those damn charity-shaming Whole Foods checkout employees. That's what's great about South Park -- it mocks everyone and both sides of every major social issue, and that sort of nuance is something we don't see from anyone in news, social media, or even other television shows. South Park doesn't have an underlying political agenda, and its only real message is that we're all idiots, idiots who are convinced we know what's best for ourselves, others, and society while not even entertaining the idea that we could learn a little something from those who disagree with us.
Oh, and I'd be remiss not to mention that the series of episodes leading up to Season 19's conclusion was probably the most compelling South Park has ever been from a plot standpoint. I was giddy with anticipation after the penultimate episode to see how they'd wind up the season. Unfortunately, the season finale disappointed me to a degree with how quickly it had to wind everything up (tackling gun control and wrapping up the larger PC Principal-based narrative of the season proved to be too much for a 23-minute episode). Fortunately, it looks like some storylines will carry over to next year and get the conclusions they deserve (the finale all but confirmed PC Principal will return and that they're setting up coverage of the 2016 election). It's damn impressive that this show hit new highs in its 19th season, and I'm extremely excited to see what Parker and Stone have in store for us next year.
Essential Episodes: Where My Country Gone (s.19 ep.2), Safe Space (s.19 ep.5), Sponsored Content (s.19 ep.8)
Friday, January 1, 2016
Television Review - 2015 (Part 3)
Hello, and happy new year. I have some thoughts on 2015 that I'm hoping to organize at some point, but for the time being, let's continue down the list of my favorite five television viewing experiences of the past year. Again, episodes in underlined bold are my favorites.
Of the five shows on this list, I originally thought that I'd have the least to discuss about Master of None, but we'll see if that changes. I have a tough time resisting a good ramble.
3. Master of None (Season 1)
Of the five shows on this list, I originally thought that I'd have the least to discuss about Master of None, but we'll see if that changes. I have a tough time resisting a good ramble.
This Netflix show is written by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang (Fire Joe Morgan's "Junior", for the baseball fans). Much like Louie, Master of None really only has one regular cast member, Dev Shah, played by Ansari. There are plenty of delightful recurring characters, but Dev is the only one to appear in every episode, and the story is almost exclusively told through his eyes. For that reason, along with the "show about nothing" feel, Master of None reminds me more of Louie than any show I've seen, though it doesn't share Louie's distaste for continuity or its occasional dream-like episodes.
Dev works as an actor who has had some success in commercials, but far less in television and movies. He's an engaging character to follow because he shows continuing growth throughout the season and does so in a realistic, believable way. Season 1 explores Dev's relationship with his immigrant parents (played by Ansari's actual mother and father), the amusing intricacies of latter-day dating, racism (though the show doesn't bludgeon you with life lessons here, respecting the fact that pretty much everyone watching is aware that racism is bad), the struggles of being a small-time actor, and the thrill of new love.
As you might expect from a show created from a comedian as brilliant as Ansari, there's plenty of laughs along the way as well. "30-year-old guy learns about life" wouldn't be nearly as interesting to watch if it weren't for the show's sharp wit and general sense of fun. Dev doesn't have much inhibition about new experiences. In a way, he shows us just how much the world has to offer if you're not reluctant to try things, whether that means taking a weekend trip to Nashville for a first date or simply spending the day hanging out with an old woman. We see a lot of ourselves in Dev, but in this regard, we see our "best selves". Don't get me wrong -- he's as human as the rest of us and makes plenty of mistakes, but I think we all wish we could be like Dev more often.
I think what was most notable about my first trip through Master of None was that there really weren't any sub-par episodes. Every installment of the 10-episode first season was of pretty good quality, with some excellent standouts.
Essential Episodes: Parents (s1. ep2), Indians on TV (s1. ep4), Nashville (s1. ep7), Mornings (s1. ep9)
I realize I just named 40% of the episodes in existence, which seems like cheating, but I couldn't in good conscience cut any of those four, and hey, I make the rules here.
2. BoJack Horseman (Seasons 1-2)
I had a really hard time choosing between BoJack Horseman and my #1 show of the year, but in the end I chose to drop BoJack to #2 because it was pretty slow in the early going before it really found its heart and hit its stride, and there's a few scattered dud episodes. But that doesn't change the fact that it's good. Like, really, really good.
"Wait wait wait, but it's a cartoon. Wait wait wait, but it's about anthropomorphic animals and humans living side by side. Wait wait wait, the main character is an alcoholic horse voiced by Will Arnett. IT'S NOT GOOFY AND STUPID, I SWEAR!"
/me, trying to explain this show to people
Maybe that last bit isn't entirely true, because the show's first six episodes are more or less what you'd expect. The beginning string is genuinely funny, but doesn't seriously make you feel much else. BoJack Horseman is the star of a 90's sitcom (I most commonly associate his past self with Bob Saget, but that's just me) who has been out of the spotlight for a long time and begins on a quest to make himself relevant again by publishing a memoir (season 1) and starring in a movie (season 2). BoJack is obsessed with getting everyone to love him, despite generally doing little of note to actually earn that. What starts as a lighthearted comedy takes several turns for the dark, and despite maintaining a sense of humor, BoJack Horseman is truly a realistic look at depression and the struggle to make oneself happy.
Because of the nature of depression, BoJack's life checks off a ton of awesome boxes, but he still winds up feeling down and stuck all the time. If you were a recognizable celebrity with a huge, awesome house in Hollywoo (not a typo, but it's what/where you think it is), had someone who genuinely loves you, and got to work your dream job, don't you think you'd feel satisfied? For someone like BoJack, it just doesn't work that way, and he's essentially on a never-ending quest to feel good about himself. That quest drives him to do plenty of desperate things which are ridiculous at best (like buying a restaurant while eating at it to impress someone) and utterly despicable at worst (sorry, no spoilers).
While BoJack might be the only character that I'd say is truly fighting a battle with clinical depression, many of the people around him are also struggling for self-fulfillment, and all of their stories are compelling (well, except for maybe that of Todd, BoJack's de facto roommate voiced by Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, but it's important that this show has at least someone on it that you don't need to take too seriously). It's weird to think that the show I watched this year with the best characters was animated, but that's truly the case, and it's helped by the fact that the voice acting is extremely good. The main cast is stellar, but there's an absurdly long list of guest stars, many of which are pretty famous.
If you haven't watched this show before, you really need to give it a try (Dev totally would!) and see it through even if you're not dragged in at first. I bet you'll both laugh a lot and feel more than you ever thought you could watching an animated show.
Essential Episodes: Say Anything (s1. ep7), Let's Find Out (s2. ep8), Escape from L.A. (s2. ep11)
Dev works as an actor who has had some success in commercials, but far less in television and movies. He's an engaging character to follow because he shows continuing growth throughout the season and does so in a realistic, believable way. Season 1 explores Dev's relationship with his immigrant parents (played by Ansari's actual mother and father), the amusing intricacies of latter-day dating, racism (though the show doesn't bludgeon you with life lessons here, respecting the fact that pretty much everyone watching is aware that racism is bad), the struggles of being a small-time actor, and the thrill of new love.
As you might expect from a show created from a comedian as brilliant as Ansari, there's plenty of laughs along the way as well. "30-year-old guy learns about life" wouldn't be nearly as interesting to watch if it weren't for the show's sharp wit and general sense of fun. Dev doesn't have much inhibition about new experiences. In a way, he shows us just how much the world has to offer if you're not reluctant to try things, whether that means taking a weekend trip to Nashville for a first date or simply spending the day hanging out with an old woman. We see a lot of ourselves in Dev, but in this regard, we see our "best selves". Don't get me wrong -- he's as human as the rest of us and makes plenty of mistakes, but I think we all wish we could be like Dev more often.
I think what was most notable about my first trip through Master of None was that there really weren't any sub-par episodes. Every installment of the 10-episode first season was of pretty good quality, with some excellent standouts.
Essential Episodes: Parents (s1. ep2), Indians on TV (s1. ep4), Nashville (s1. ep7), Mornings (s1. ep9)
I realize I just named 40% of the episodes in existence, which seems like cheating, but I couldn't in good conscience cut any of those four, and hey, I make the rules here.
2. BoJack Horseman (Seasons 1-2)
I had a really hard time choosing between BoJack Horseman and my #1 show of the year, but in the end I chose to drop BoJack to #2 because it was pretty slow in the early going before it really found its heart and hit its stride, and there's a few scattered dud episodes. But that doesn't change the fact that it's good. Like, really, really good.
"Wait wait wait, but it's a cartoon. Wait wait wait, but it's about anthropomorphic animals and humans living side by side. Wait wait wait, the main character is an alcoholic horse voiced by Will Arnett. IT'S NOT GOOFY AND STUPID, I SWEAR!"
/me, trying to explain this show to people
Maybe that last bit isn't entirely true, because the show's first six episodes are more or less what you'd expect. The beginning string is genuinely funny, but doesn't seriously make you feel much else. BoJack Horseman is the star of a 90's sitcom (I most commonly associate his past self with Bob Saget, but that's just me) who has been out of the spotlight for a long time and begins on a quest to make himself relevant again by publishing a memoir (season 1) and starring in a movie (season 2). BoJack is obsessed with getting everyone to love him, despite generally doing little of note to actually earn that. What starts as a lighthearted comedy takes several turns for the dark, and despite maintaining a sense of humor, BoJack Horseman is truly a realistic look at depression and the struggle to make oneself happy.
Because of the nature of depression, BoJack's life checks off a ton of awesome boxes, but he still winds up feeling down and stuck all the time. If you were a recognizable celebrity with a huge, awesome house in Hollywoo (not a typo, but it's what/where you think it is), had someone who genuinely loves you, and got to work your dream job, don't you think you'd feel satisfied? For someone like BoJack, it just doesn't work that way, and he's essentially on a never-ending quest to feel good about himself. That quest drives him to do plenty of desperate things which are ridiculous at best (like buying a restaurant while eating at it to impress someone) and utterly despicable at worst (sorry, no spoilers).
While BoJack might be the only character that I'd say is truly fighting a battle with clinical depression, many of the people around him are also struggling for self-fulfillment, and all of their stories are compelling (well, except for maybe that of Todd, BoJack's de facto roommate voiced by Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, but it's important that this show has at least someone on it that you don't need to take too seriously). It's weird to think that the show I watched this year with the best characters was animated, but that's truly the case, and it's helped by the fact that the voice acting is extremely good. The main cast is stellar, but there's an absurdly long list of guest stars, many of which are pretty famous.
If you haven't watched this show before, you really need to give it a try (Dev totally would!) and see it through even if you're not dragged in at first. I bet you'll both laugh a lot and feel more than you ever thought you could watching an animated show.
Essential Episodes: Say Anything (s1. ep7), Let's Find Out (s2. ep8), Escape from L.A. (s2. ep11)
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Television Review - 2015 (Part 2)
I'll continue my look at television shows that I've watched over the course of the past year by beginning my list of my top five viewing experiences. This can be a full series or a single season, depending on what I've specifically watched over the past twelve months. Again, not all of these shows are "new", just new to me.
I'll list a few of my favorite episodes from each one after the review, with the one in underlined bold being my absolute favorite.
5. Mr. Robot (Season 1)
I generally hate shows created by people with obvious political agendas that don't present their ideas with any level of nuance or subtlety (actually, this is one of the biggest reasons I think Family Guy went downhill). Mr. Robot pretty much beats you over the head with GRRRAAAHHHH!!!! CAPITALISM BAD!!!!!! ad nauseam and does it in the least creative way possible -- direct dialogue. As if they weren't obvious enough with the writing, the biggest corporation in America on the show is named "Evil Corp" (it's actually called "E Corp", but we're supposed to see most of the show through the main character's eyes, and he automatically replaces the "E" with "Evil" in his head, or whatever, so that's how characters refer to it). Seriously. "Evil Corp." It's not a spoof show, I swear.
/end rant
Anyway, Mr. Robot follows the story of Elliot Alderson, a brilliant computer hacker working for Allsafe Cybersecurity that loathes the unfair realities of capitalist society along with the aforementioned Evil Corp, which controls most of the country. Allsafe is charged with protecting their client, Evil Corp from cyber terrorism. In the first episode, Elliot gets tangled up with the enigmatic Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) and faces a decision to join forces with him to unleash a plan that would effectively destroy the economy along with Evil Corp (so, hey! conflict of interest!), relieving millions of aggrieved Americans of debt that they'd otherwise never be able to pay their way out of.
As you might have guessed, I don't find the show's premise particularly fascinating, but the acting and character design are both top notch. Elliot is socially inept and awful at relating to people, but thanks to his hacking abilities, he's often able to understand people around him better than they know themselves. Many times, he feels like an information-based superhero that's able to take advantage of any "exploit" in a given person or situation, and seeing him solve the intense problems he's faced with throughout the season is edge-of-your-seat thrilling.
What makes Elliot's challenges so fascinating is that his morals are constantly getting in the way of what he feels he needs to do. He repeatedly needs to decide whether accomplishing what he wants is really worth the means necessary, and much like a real person, he doesn't always make the same choice between achievement and righteousness. Elliot is an outstanding character on a show filled with compelling ones, and Rami Malek's performance drives one of the best new shows of 2015.
Essential Episodes: eps1.5br4ve-trave1er.asf; eps1.8m1rr0r1ng.qt
4. Louie (Seasons 1-4)
Louie is on its surface a comedy, but that doesn't really do it justice. In this single-camera adventure, Louis C.K. plays a fictionalized version of himself and he's really the only regular cast member. There's recurring characters, such as his two daughters, his estranged wife, and a love interest played by Pamela Adlon, but by and large, the show focuses solely on Louie's experiences and how he takes in the world around him.
Most episodes (particularly early in the series' run) involve short stories about Louie interwoven with his character performing stand-up in various venues. While the stand-up is often very funny, the most interesting episodes are compelling when we get to experience Louie interact with the various characters that pass in and out of his life. The stories handle a wide range of topics, particularly aging, parenthood as a divorcee, the dating world for a man in his 40s, love, and facing the reality that one's career has probably peaked.
At last year's Emmy Awards, I remembered someone describing Louie as "jazz", which is a comparison that works on plenty of levels. Louie's creativity knows no bounds and has been lauded for its camerawork and music. Some narratives are more mundane, such as Louie being bothered by a heckler at a small comedy club, and other storylines include him making a run at David Letterman's job and being flown to Afghanistan to entertain the troops. Except for a few strings of serialized episodes, Louie mostly lacks continuity and that allows the show to freely pursue any situation that enters C.K.'s vivid imagination. Some moments are surreal, some are grounded in harsh reality, but the experiences are mostly relatable, and I often found myself spending plenty of time after certain episodes wondering what I would do given his situation. It's not a perfect show, and sometimes could be dull when it became more artsy than plot-driven (think Breaking Bad's "Fly" episode), but overall, a great viewing experience. I'm excited to see Season 5 when it becomes available on Netflix.
Essential Episodes: Bully (s.1 ep.9); Duckling (s.2 ep.11); In the Woods (s.4 ep.11-12)
I'll list a few of my favorite episodes from each one after the review, with the one in underlined bold being my absolute favorite.
5. Mr. Robot (Season 1)
I generally hate shows created by people with obvious political agendas that don't present their ideas with any level of nuance or subtlety (actually, this is one of the biggest reasons I think Family Guy went downhill). Mr. Robot pretty much beats you over the head with GRRRAAAHHHH!!!! CAPITALISM BAD!!!!!! ad nauseam and does it in the least creative way possible -- direct dialogue. As if they weren't obvious enough with the writing, the biggest corporation in America on the show is named "Evil Corp" (it's actually called "E Corp", but we're supposed to see most of the show through the main character's eyes, and he automatically replaces the "E" with "Evil" in his head, or whatever, so that's how characters refer to it). Seriously. "Evil Corp." It's not a spoof show, I swear.
/end rant
Anyway, Mr. Robot follows the story of Elliot Alderson, a brilliant computer hacker working for Allsafe Cybersecurity that loathes the unfair realities of capitalist society along with the aforementioned Evil Corp, which controls most of the country. Allsafe is charged with protecting their client, Evil Corp from cyber terrorism. In the first episode, Elliot gets tangled up with the enigmatic Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) and faces a decision to join forces with him to unleash a plan that would effectively destroy the economy along with Evil Corp (so, hey! conflict of interest!), relieving millions of aggrieved Americans of debt that they'd otherwise never be able to pay their way out of.
As you might have guessed, I don't find the show's premise particularly fascinating, but the acting and character design are both top notch. Elliot is socially inept and awful at relating to people, but thanks to his hacking abilities, he's often able to understand people around him better than they know themselves. Many times, he feels like an information-based superhero that's able to take advantage of any "exploit" in a given person or situation, and seeing him solve the intense problems he's faced with throughout the season is edge-of-your-seat thrilling.
What makes Elliot's challenges so fascinating is that his morals are constantly getting in the way of what he feels he needs to do. He repeatedly needs to decide whether accomplishing what he wants is really worth the means necessary, and much like a real person, he doesn't always make the same choice between achievement and righteousness. Elliot is an outstanding character on a show filled with compelling ones, and Rami Malek's performance drives one of the best new shows of 2015.
Essential Episodes: eps1.5br4ve-trave1er.asf; eps1.8m1rr0r1ng.qt
4. Louie (Seasons 1-4)
Louie is on its surface a comedy, but that doesn't really do it justice. In this single-camera adventure, Louis C.K. plays a fictionalized version of himself and he's really the only regular cast member. There's recurring characters, such as his two daughters, his estranged wife, and a love interest played by Pamela Adlon, but by and large, the show focuses solely on Louie's experiences and how he takes in the world around him.
Most episodes (particularly early in the series' run) involve short stories about Louie interwoven with his character performing stand-up in various venues. While the stand-up is often very funny, the most interesting episodes are compelling when we get to experience Louie interact with the various characters that pass in and out of his life. The stories handle a wide range of topics, particularly aging, parenthood as a divorcee, the dating world for a man in his 40s, love, and facing the reality that one's career has probably peaked.
At last year's Emmy Awards, I remembered someone describing Louie as "jazz", which is a comparison that works on plenty of levels. Louie's creativity knows no bounds and has been lauded for its camerawork and music. Some narratives are more mundane, such as Louie being bothered by a heckler at a small comedy club, and other storylines include him making a run at David Letterman's job and being flown to Afghanistan to entertain the troops. Except for a few strings of serialized episodes, Louie mostly lacks continuity and that allows the show to freely pursue any situation that enters C.K.'s vivid imagination. Some moments are surreal, some are grounded in harsh reality, but the experiences are mostly relatable, and I often found myself spending plenty of time after certain episodes wondering what I would do given his situation. It's not a perfect show, and sometimes could be dull when it became more artsy than plot-driven (think Breaking Bad's "Fly" episode), but overall, a great viewing experience. I'm excited to see Season 5 when it becomes available on Netflix.
Essential Episodes: Bully (s.1 ep.9); Duckling (s.2 ep.11); In the Woods (s.4 ep.11-12)
Television Review - 2015 (Part 1)
I'll make my first (real) post here about television shows that I've watched over the course of the past year. Some of these shows are ones that have been around that I've just gotten into, others are new seasons of shows that I've been watching for awhile.
Just for fun, here's a (possibly not comprehensive!) list of shows that I regularly watch on a weekly basis (or binged this year) that won't be mentioned elsewhere in the post, simply because they're not in my top five TV experiences of the year, nor were notably dipping in quality.
Modern Family
Suits
Top Chef
Parenthood
Silicon Valley
The Big Bang Theory
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Deadwood
House of Cards (kidding, that show is bad enough to deserve its own hate post, and yes, I'm aware that I'm saying this three shows below admitting to watching The Big Bang Theory every week)
In this first of several installments, I'm going to look at a few shows that took a serious dip in quality this year. The next post will be a list of my favorite five television experiences from 2015.
Trending Downward
Archer
Archer is one of my favorite comedies I've ever had the pleasure of watching. The first three seasons of Adam Reed's spoof of the spy genre were damn near perfect. The show revolves around the world's greatest secret agent, Sterling Archer, who's really just a mish-mash of various spy characters (James Bond, Ethan Hunt, Austin Powers, etc) that you've seen elsewhere. He (and, well the entire cast, really) is written such that he always has the perfect line to deliver, making the dialogue witty, smart, and fast-paced. I highly recommend watching this show, but now in its later years, they appear to be reaching for storylines. Archer has mostly played within the rules of reality (despite some incredible temptations not to in the past -- particularly the two-part conclusion of season three set in space), but that's slipped in the show's sixth season, which has included aliens and a shrinking machine. That's shit straight out of the last season of Family Matters, and I'm not optimistic about season seven. It might be time to call it quits on Archer if there's not a significant rebound in the cards.
Orange is the New Black
Netflix's story about a woman being sentenced to a year in a women-only prison was fascinating for the first two seasons. Orange is the New Black features an extremely deep cast of acting talent and, perhaps in recognition of this, is not firmly focused on its main character, Piper Chapman. The storytelling is unique in that each episode features the pre-prison backstory of one of the inmates at Litchfield Penitentiary, so over time, nearly all the characters become fully fleshed out and you really start to understand what makes each one tick. Eventually I stopped watching this show someplace in the middle of season three, primarily because Piper became really damn unlikable and her relationship with fellow inmate Alex (That 70's Show's Laura Prepon) had more or less been stripped of whatever intrigue it originally presented. Furthermore, the storytelling method of focusing on one character per week became a little tedious over time because it further diluted the screen time of characters you'd like to see more of (and yes, when you have a cast that big, some are significantly more compelling than others). Many may still like this show, and there's good reason to do so, but I've decided I'm finished with it.
The League
I suppose that it's weird to suggest a show is "trending downward" at the end of its run, but here we are. The League used to be comedy at its finest, featuring smart humor with witty characters that hit all levels of the "weird" scale, all tied together with the underlying theme of a competitive fantasy football league. Unfortunately, the show's writers fell in love with the most unrealistically eccentric of them all, a fellow by the name of Rafi. By the end of the show's run, Rafi was basically urinating (figuratively, but sometimes literally as well) all over every other episode, and the mere sight of him was enough for me to want to throw the remote at the TV.
Just for fun, here's a (possibly not comprehensive!) list of shows that I regularly watch on a weekly basis (or binged this year) that won't be mentioned elsewhere in the post, simply because they're not in my top five TV experiences of the year, nor were notably dipping in quality.
Modern Family
Suits
Top Chef
Parenthood
Silicon Valley
The Big Bang Theory
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Deadwood
House of Cards (kidding, that show is bad enough to deserve its own hate post, and yes, I'm aware that I'm saying this three shows below admitting to watching The Big Bang Theory every week)
In this first of several installments, I'm going to look at a few shows that took a serious dip in quality this year. The next post will be a list of my favorite five television experiences from 2015.
Trending Downward
Archer
Archer is one of my favorite comedies I've ever had the pleasure of watching. The first three seasons of Adam Reed's spoof of the spy genre were damn near perfect. The show revolves around the world's greatest secret agent, Sterling Archer, who's really just a mish-mash of various spy characters (James Bond, Ethan Hunt, Austin Powers, etc) that you've seen elsewhere. He (and, well the entire cast, really) is written such that he always has the perfect line to deliver, making the dialogue witty, smart, and fast-paced. I highly recommend watching this show, but now in its later years, they appear to be reaching for storylines. Archer has mostly played within the rules of reality (despite some incredible temptations not to in the past -- particularly the two-part conclusion of season three set in space), but that's slipped in the show's sixth season, which has included aliens and a shrinking machine. That's shit straight out of the last season of Family Matters, and I'm not optimistic about season seven. It might be time to call it quits on Archer if there's not a significant rebound in the cards.
Orange is the New Black
Netflix's story about a woman being sentenced to a year in a women-only prison was fascinating for the first two seasons. Orange is the New Black features an extremely deep cast of acting talent and, perhaps in recognition of this, is not firmly focused on its main character, Piper Chapman. The storytelling is unique in that each episode features the pre-prison backstory of one of the inmates at Litchfield Penitentiary, so over time, nearly all the characters become fully fleshed out and you really start to understand what makes each one tick. Eventually I stopped watching this show someplace in the middle of season three, primarily because Piper became really damn unlikable and her relationship with fellow inmate Alex (That 70's Show's Laura Prepon) had more or less been stripped of whatever intrigue it originally presented. Furthermore, the storytelling method of focusing on one character per week became a little tedious over time because it further diluted the screen time of characters you'd like to see more of (and yes, when you have a cast that big, some are significantly more compelling than others). Many may still like this show, and there's good reason to do so, but I've decided I'm finished with it.
The League
I suppose that it's weird to suggest a show is "trending downward" at the end of its run, but here we are. The League used to be comedy at its finest, featuring smart humor with witty characters that hit all levels of the "weird" scale, all tied together with the underlying theme of a competitive fantasy football league. Unfortunately, the show's writers fell in love with the most unrealistically eccentric of them all, a fellow by the name of Rafi. By the end of the show's run, Rafi was basically urinating (figuratively, but sometimes literally as well) all over every other episode, and the mere sight of him was enough for me to want to throw the remote at the TV.
The Pat Hatter
Hello. My name is Patrick, and I'm getting (back) into the blogging game.
That's a shade misleading, as I currently write for a baseball website, but I sometimes find myself wanting to write about non-sports things, so this is going to be a place for that. I'll write about movies that I watch, TV shows that I've been into, maybe a little bit about music here or there, game reviews (primarily board games), and anything else that crosses my mind.
I personally don't see a lot of upside to discussing politics or religion on the internet, so I'm gonna stay away from those topics. You might catch a bit of slant here or there in my writing that shows my hand, but it'll be minimal. I'm not interested in kickstarting debates, so I'll ask that comments (which are really easy to delete!) stay away from those topics. Thanks for understanding.
While I'm probably going to delve plenty into a review of various elements of pop culture, I don't consider myself a connoisseur by any means. These are just my opinions and they may be less informed, refined, etc, than that of the next person. I accept it.
I hope you enjoy reading, and feel free to leave a comment here or there if you so desire.
That's a shade misleading, as I currently write for a baseball website, but I sometimes find myself wanting to write about non-sports things, so this is going to be a place for that. I'll write about movies that I watch, TV shows that I've been into, maybe a little bit about music here or there, game reviews (primarily board games), and anything else that crosses my mind.
I personally don't see a lot of upside to discussing politics or religion on the internet, so I'm gonna stay away from those topics. You might catch a bit of slant here or there in my writing that shows my hand, but it'll be minimal. I'm not interested in kickstarting debates, so I'll ask that comments (which are really easy to delete!) stay away from those topics. Thanks for understanding.
While I'm probably going to delve plenty into a review of various elements of pop culture, I don't consider myself a connoisseur by any means. These are just my opinions and they may be less informed, refined, etc, than that of the next person. I accept it.
I hope you enjoy reading, and feel free to leave a comment here or there if you so desire.
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