At the Cinema: Wreck-It Ralph and Bunheads

On the movie front, I redboxed Wreck-It Ralph Thursday night and had really high hopes. I haven’t ever been a huge fan of animated films as an adult. I’m not sure why that is. I hear rave reviews from others well out of childhood and get such high hopes never to have my expectations met. Jimmy loves animated movies and hates that I never want to see them. But I’m trying to put more of an effort in. The last animated film I saw in a theater was Wall-E which was okay but overly preachy.

I popped Ralph in and the first half of the movie bored me to tears. Not being a gamer (even in childhood I only played maybe 2 or 3 games regularly enough to remember), I just didn’t feel connected to that aspect of the movie. I needed something emotional to connect with and quickly or it was going to wind up a DNF. Thankfully, Ralph met Vanellope just in the nick of time.

Ralph is a game villian with a heart of gold who wants to be the good guy and win medals. Vanellope is a race car driver who can’t compete in her game because she has a glitch. The relationship that develops between Ralph and V is so well done, so sweet and touching that the movie’s first half was quickly forgotten. I loved the second half so fiercely that there might have been a tear shed. Also, Jane Lynch’s character was awesome even if her storyline seemed a bit forced and out of place.

As for the smaller screen, I recently started watching Bunheads. I always meant to watch this Gilmore Girls throwback, but not having cable I had to rely on a streaming service to offer it up for free. Obviously, as a GG fan from inception, Bunheads hits many of the right chords. The dialogue is sassy and fast, Michelle is a likable, flawed protagonist, the small town vibe and quirky characters reign supreme, and I adore seeing old friends again. Daddy Huntzberger cracks me up as a surfer dude.

While I don’t think Bunheads is nearly as brilliant as GG, there’s still plenty to love and plenty of room for growth. I’ll be watching as long as the show runs and can’t wait to see more guest appearances from GG alumni.

TSS: What I’ve Been Up To…

This week was a good one! Spent most of my time at work preparing for our big office move. We’re leaving Kennesaw behind for the greener pastures of Marietta. I’m super excited about this because that’s 10 minutes less commuting each way. It also means I’ll have my own work space instead of being cramped into an office with two other people.

Jimmy spent all week in Tampa, but is home now until sometime in March! I don’t mind when he travels a week here, a week there – but three weeks in a row is too much, especially when I’m sick.  Thursday was a fun Valentine’s Day! Jimmy surprised me by having flowers and chocolate delivered to my work (see pictorial evidence below) and then I went to see Silver Linings Playbook with a friend. Just as good the second time around!

The rest of this post will just be a quick round-up of some of my recent entertainments!

What I’ve Been Watching:

Downton Abbey via network television – Broke my heart into a tiny million pieces and I still don’t feel put back together again.

Young Adult on Netflix – A strange little movie and one that was painful to watch. Felt such third party embarrassment for Charlize Theron’s character. The ending was also weird. Not sure I’d recommend this to anyone.

The Bourne Legacy via RedBox – Enjoyed far more than I expected to! Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne was always so cold and stoic that I never fully felt connected to those films. Jeremy Renner brings a sort of humanity and emotion to the role that I really enjoyed.

Paranormal Activity 4 via RedBox - Creepy as all get-out. More of the same, but still scares the daylights out of me. I’m not sure what I was thinking watching this home alone at night.

Homeland via purchase – I’ve only watched the first 5 episodes of Season One. I’m not sure I’m as enamored as everyone else. Not sure why. The only character that really intrigues me so far is Claire Danes’s.

Dr. Who via Netflix- What is wrong with me? Why can’t I get into this show? It should be right up my alley but I just find it so tediously silly. I managed to sneak in the second episode of season 2 and it’s still not working for me.

New Girl via network television – Yay Jess and Nick with the most epic TV kiss I’ve seen in ages!

Skyfall via purchase – Bought it, re-watched it, and thought it was better the second time around. A GREAT movie. WATCH IT.

What I’ve Been Eating:

Minato – Great Japanese restaurant in Smyrna near Cumberland Mall. The owners are friendly. Jimmy even brought his parents to this place so they could meet the owners (wife is from Taiwan). If you’re in the area, check it out!

One Midtown Kitchen – A classic Atlanta restaurant with New American Cuisine. Loved everything I ate from appetizer to dessert. Portion size was perfect and price wasn’t half bad. Will definitely return.

East Pearl Seafood – In Duluth (at least I think that’s Duluth). We ate here for our traditional Chinese New Year meal. We had the prix fixe dinner and everyone was utterly melt-in-your-mouth delicious. If you’ve never been to a proper Chinese restaurant, I beseech you to go immediately. Don’t worry if you can’t read the menu. It will all be good.

JCT Kitchen – Book club just had a lunch here and it was phenomenal. I had some fall-off-the-bone chicken that could not have been cooked any better. Also, the space is gorgeous and I want the designer to decorate my house.

Bocado – Had dinner and drinks here a few weeks ago. Cocktails were lovely and food was delicious. We sat at the bar and had a great time. Order the devil eggs for a tasteful surprise!

The One Sushi+ – A new sushi restaurant near us that serves several traditional Taiwanese dishes in a trendy space. Jimmy and I were skeptical about the dishes so decided to test them out. Not bad. Beef noodle and Taiwanese sausage were very authentic with a slight chef’s twist.

Chef Liu’s – Soup Pork Dumplings. Smack. Yo. Mama. Good.

Serpas – Last night’s dining choice/late V-Day dinner. The food was AMAZING. Service a little slow, but the food more than made up for that. On the pricey side, but if you ditch an entree and dessert – a decent sized and priced meal can be had with appetizers!

Have a wonderful week ladies and gents! Squeeze in as many Oscar films as you can this week because they are all SO GOOD. And read, of course! I’ll be joining in the Vanity Fair Readalong and starting The Late Bloomer’s Revolution by Amy Cohen.

 

What a terribly long post! See y’all next week!

Downton Abbey

Thanks to the extra push by Courtney, I finally watched the first episode of Downton Abbey which completely trumps the Super Bowl.  How did it take me this long?  This show is fantastic.  I love how dastardly some of the servants are and how likable many of the family members are.  Totally wasn’t expecting to despise (yet be completely obsessed with) many among the ‘sympathetic’ lower classes.  The secrets, the scandals, the inheritances gone awry!!!  And to have some wonderful twisty moments in the very first episode is impressive – I didn’t realize how invested I was until shit hit the fan and I noticed myself gasping out loud.  Plus, the cinematography is gorgeous, the writing is way above the bar, and the acting is on point.  Go watch this show!!!

Showtime’s Brilliance

Sunday night is really one of the best nights of television out there – if you have Showtime and AMC.

Showtime’s fall season got started last night and I was not disappointed! The new season of Dexter has begun! Harrison is now a toddler starting pre-school which means Dexter is going to have to start teaching his kid how to be awesome. He wants to enroll Harrison in a Catholic school despite his own lack of religious belief.  Our new Big Bad is Colin Hanks partnered with old, spanish man who’s name I have forgotten – they catch a pregnant snake, remove a man’s intestines, and, of course, replace them with the baby snakes!  Awesome.  These killers are supposedly spreading some religious message – see a pattern so far?  Religion is going to be our new season’s theme!

What makes me love Dexter so much is how utterly mind-boggled I get sometimes cheerleading for a serial killer.  I mean, Dex’s hammer time joke when he kills his old high school classmate made me chuckle out loud – and then I was like – is it appropriate to laugh at someone’s murder?  Oh…and Dexter attends his 20 year reunion and plays touch football – genius.

Showtime’s new series, Homeland, premiered after Dexter.  I gotta say, didn’t have high expectations going into this one.  I have a love/hate relationship with Claire Danes, but Gideon (from Criminal Minds) is on my television again!  This show blew me away.  Powerfully intense stuff folks – and what a role for Damian Lewis.  He plays Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody, a POW found in a hole in Iraq 8 years after he goes missing.  Claire Danes works for the CIA as some sort of anti-terrorism analyst who received intel earlier that a rescued POW would be a ‘double agent’ turned by his Al Qaeda captors with a plot a against America!  Also, both Danes and Lewis will be suffering from mental health issues – an interesting juxtaposition.  Go watch it now!!! My vote for Best New Show of the Season!!

Watch This!

Two new Wednesday night shows have caught my attention, both of which are on ABC.

First, Revenge:

Talk about some soap opera-y goodness.  Emily Thorne is a cray-cray badass.  Also, you’ll find Kyle from Roswell and Serena’s little brother from Gossip Girl in better roles.  Plus, you’ll get to see rich snobs from the Hamptons get destroyed one episode at a time!

Suburgatory:

Wasn’t even on my radar until tonight.  Story follows girl and her father who move from NYC into the ‘burbs.  My younger self relates to the daughter so much – and Jeremy Sisto and Alan Tudyk  (Firefly) are fantastic.

Tuesday Television!

My Tuesdays are slim pickins as far a quality television is concerned.

We had episode 1.2 of Ringer – She’s Ruining Everything.  The show’s pilot episode last week earned it strike one. And this week, unfortunately, earned it strike too.  While last week’s episode was just silly, this week’s episode managed to improve to dull, but terribly dull.  My heart isn’t even in this anymore and I’m fairly sure next week will result in the final episode I watch.  Better luck next time, SMG.  I might tune in to see Jason Dohring, maybe.

Glee returned and I had high hopes after a disappointing third season.  But honestly, nothing really won me over in the premiere.  I do like Quinn as a bad girl and that Blaine has joined New Directions.  Rachel and Kurt have some of the best scenes, but I just feel like it’s too little, too late.  We’ll see how I feel once Idina returns next week.

I am happy to announce that I adored the New Girl premiere.  I know a ton of people are annoyed by Zooey Deschanel, but her quirkiness I find endearing.  Honestly, I don’t really separate the actress from her character, Jess.  The role just has a sense of sincerity that is lacking on television, especially comedic television.  Her roommates (the premise has her character moving in with three guys) are fantastic in their own right – I see you there, Deputy Leo!  I haven’t forgotten our Veronica Mars love!  The Douchebag jar is genius and the reverse mormonism is beyond genius.  When the boys show up at the restaurant to save her from being stood up my heart might have melted just a little!  Kudos, new show!  I see love in our future.

Monday television!

I wholeheartedly promise to update with a book review post later today (for American Pastoral by Philip Roth), but until then enjoy my feelings on 2 Broke Girls and the Castle premiere.

2 Broke Girls wanted me to love it and I tried very hard.  Unfortunately, the off-putting laugh track, the forced jokes that my husband decided could only be hilarious to high-schoolers, and the predicable story lines ruined our potential love affair.  And come on – they get the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn so entirely wrong.  I think the show lacked subtlety and charm.  Two more episodes to win me over – good luck!

Castle, I hope, needs no introduction.  I would watch this show even if it were awful just because of Nathan Fillion, but thankfully this show is filled with win.  Season 4 picks up right where Season 3 left off – with Beckett shot, Montgomery still dead, and everyone else devastated.  Kate survives only to kick Castle to the curb for a few months as she needs ‘time’.  I hate when people need time.  The rest of the episode is fairly straightforward.  Castle very quickly forgives Beckett for  ignoring him for months.  He’s such a puppy dog, I swear.  The new Captain is Woman-Hear-Me-Roar type who likes to be called Sir.  I hope we can put Beckett’s shooter/mommy killer storyline to bed soon.  And I’m pissed that Kate is pretending she doesn’t remember Castle’s love confession.  Not the most awesome of episodes, but I know the awesome will return.

TV Reviews: Up All Night, The Secret Circle, and The Vampire Diaries!

Having too much fun watching the premieres of all the new shows!  I promise that I am still reading as well.  Read The Piano Teacher this week for book club on Sunday.  I’m also about halfway through two other novels – Shirley by Charlotte Bronte and American Pastoral by Philip Roth which I hope to finish this week – so look for those reviews next week!!

Let’s get started with Up All Night.  I am tough when it comes to comedies – if the characters aren’t completely endearing and I don’t laugh out loud, I will totally pass on the show forever.  Christina Applegate is a favorite of mine – loved Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead when I was 9 – and always enjoy Will Arnett.  I thought their chemistry as first time parents was fantastic and really grounded in realism.  I managed to laugh out loud within the first five minutes – when Applegate discovers she’s pregnant and that there’s a baby “in there” which sounds to Applegate like there’s a baby in a closet ready to come at them with a knife.  Arnett being the stay at home dad to Applegates’s television show producing bread winner is also a refreshing spin.  Unfortunately, Maya Rudolph ruins the whole damn thing.  I loved her in both Away We Go and Bridesmaids – but her performance here as an over-the-top Oprah-like television personality leaves realism behind in favor of slapstick comedy better left to Saturday Night Live.  We’ll see if she calms down in the first three episodes – if not, I’m outta here!

Our next new show is The Secret Circle from the CW which is about witches.  Seeing as to how I love all things supernatural, I was more than a little excited – especially knowing how good The Vampire Diaries has turned out to be.  Let’s just say I was not disappointed!  This show promises a great battle between good and evil, a superb bad guy in Gale Harold (whom I love an inappropriate amount), and plot twist after plot twist to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.  Of course, the pilot wasn’t perfect.  Most of everything revealed had already been seen in previews and the bad girl, Faye, was not as good as the rest of the cast which is extremely disappointing.  Witches and the like have been overdone recently, so we’ll see if the show can keep the idea fresh or not – but I’ll be there for every moment!

And finally, on to The Vampire Diaries.  I love this show so much.  What most shows only manage to pull off once or twice in a season during hiatus and finale cliffhangers, TVD manages to do in almost every episode.  The pacing is superb, beloved characters are killed, unpredicatble twists are the norm, and the cast is both beautiful and talented.  Characters you used to hate you grow to love and vice versa.  For me, this show is pretty close to mindless fluff perfection – with moments of clarity and intelligence that are pleasantly surprising.  Ok…enough with the fangirl imitation.  The new season throws us back into the action with Elena growing ever closer to Damon while mourning the momentary (hopefully!) loss of Stefan.  But you won’t find our heroine jumping off of cliffs any time soon (this is a thinly veiled Twilight insult)!  Stefan has turned all big bad (fun stuff!) and has re-earnd his nickname “The Ripper”.  Caroline and Tyler are getting all hot and snuggly just in time for Tyler’s mom to shoot Caroline down with vervain as she tries to leave the Lockwood mansion – and you thought your significant other’s parents were tough to deal with!!  Oh show, how I love you!!

TV Review: The Ringer series premiere

If you know anything about me, you know I love scripted television about as much as I love books.  You also know that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my favorite series of all time.  I can feel the judgement already!

After a long hiatus away from the small screen, Sarah Michelle Gellar has returned to television in The Ringer, the CW’s noir soap opera in which she plays twins!  Bridget is a recovering coked-up stripper (from Wyoming…really?) currently under witness protection and Siobhan is a Hamptons/NYC socialite.  In the pilot, Bridget escapes her protective custody, finds her way to Siobhan (they’ve been estranged for 6 six years due to some mystery involving some child named Sean), and assumes Siobhan’s identity when Siobhan seemingly commits suicide by bad green screen effects…or drowning…whatever floats your boat.  Sounds tremendously trashy, yes?

Le sigh – it was TERRIBLE.  Everyone was so stiff-faced and dull (SMG has never mastered drama).  This show takes itself way too seriously and the script is devoid of any life.  I felt like I was at a funeral the whole time, not a fun campy drama filled with twists and turns.  And I love fun campy shows!  The Vampire Diaries and True Blood are fantastic in this respect.

Poor SMG.  The special effects are terrible, the cliche plots leave little to the imagination, and now I’ve discovered that Jason Dohring is also set to start in later episodes – NO, JASON!  Don’t do it!!!  Now I have to continue watching.

With all that being said, pilots are often terrible.  I’ll be giving SMG and Mr. Dohring three episodes before I officially give up and reclaim my 9pm Tuesday nights.