New Girl. Season 1

So long, guys! Good luck next season!

If you've been reading the micro reviews of each episode, you'll see that New Girl started out with promise, the adorkable Zooey Deschanel leading the gang. As the show went on, it felt like it was trying to be the Friends of this modern TV age, without really bringing anything new to formulaic comedy sitcoms. Along the way, it got confused as to where it really wanted to be at the end of the season, and that caused most of the character story arcs to become less natural. Ergo, less and less laugh-out-loud moments. I was wanting for the season to be over so I could stop watching it altogether.

But before I say goodbye to New Girl as a show, I want to commend Max Greenfield for owning his character Schmidt. I still miss Damon Wayan, Jr. as Coach from the pilot. I think it would have been more interesting if he stayed (not that I hate Winston). Nick really needs to grow up. Lastly, Zooey would always be the girl in 500 Days of Summer to me more than Jessica Day.


New Girl gets a five out of ten, for the adorkable moments, creepy facial expressions, weird scenarios, and its most remarkable contribution: The Douchebag Jar.

You will always be remembered.

*photo from Fox.com, and this blog.

The Vampire Diaries. Season 3. Episode 22: "The Departed"

At least her eyes weren't red, nor her skin suspiciously white.

I know it's a week late, but I watched it again to write this, and it still felt the same. There were so many things going on in such a fast pace, and with so many feelings involved. I wasn't surprised with Elena's fate; it was only a matter of time (it happened much earlier in the books). And I think it's just about the right time that Elena has chosen who she wants to be with, now that she's lost every parental adult she's had.

Let's take a moment to bid Alaric au revoir. See you soon.

Of course, she's going to turn. That's why next season is going to take us back to square one... well, not exactly, I hope. Stefan's guilt will probably play into the situation, and so will Damon's "I told you so" sermon. But both brothers will kind of breath a sigh of relief that Elena is not that fragile and not a target anymore. The advantages of her being a vampire─also with their respective relationships, of course─will sink in.

I'd say that body  is salvageable. Alaric closed the coffin too early.

And we haven't seen the last of Klaus yet. (It's genius, but I hate it that he's in Tyler's body. Caroline better watch it.) Nor have we seen the last of the other Originals (more Elijah and Rebekah, please, I loved their sibling moment in this episode). And if Bonnie is going rogue or bad, next season is really going to be interesting.

*screencaps by VLC

The Secret Circle. Episode 22: "Family"

These back magic sisters need a ginger. Seriously.

So, it comes down to family, and yet it was all it took to kill Blackwell. I especially love the part where Cassie "activated" Diana's dark magic. That, and the somewhat orgasmic effect of touching the crystal skull. The circle is bound no more and their identities as witches are out. Individual power is restored, as well as a new-found one for Dawn. Charles sacrifice is appreciated; Eben is dead. So why didn't they tell the elders that the crystal was whole again? After all, witches got to stick together, right?

*screencap by VLC

New Girl. Episode 24: "See Ya"

Do you think just the three of them can pull it off?

When I said that Nick moving out is a good story angle, I meant that if he really did move out. But of course, he didn't. All that time in the desert was just sort of just fun. There's trouble in Cece and Schmidt land and I think their story is the only one progressing logically. Winston's character badly needs a makeover.


*screencap by VLC

Into the Badlands

This TV movie has great actors like Bruce Dern, Mariel Hemingway, Helen Hunt, and Dylan McDermott. It's also a trilogy based on Western horror stories.

However, this movie will leave you with a lot of questions about what really happened, and it's not necessary. Not in the Satoshi Kon sense.

What will get you through this movie is Bruce Dern's haunting narration. There's also some gore. You might also like this movie if you enjoy folk music, or Bon Iver and Joanna Newsom, or that new Taylor Swift song for the The Hunger Games.

Other than that, this Sam Pillsbury-directed TV movie might only be good for when a professor of American history or literature gets a hangover and needs the class to "do something." Or maybe if one were a nerd and bored.


5/10
Photo from IMDB

Ring Kings

This should've been due more than a week ago. Let's just go ahead with the festivities, shall we?


Deandre Latimore VS Carlos Quintana

A new schooler versus an old school former world champ. I expected Quintana to put on the clamps on Latimore, even if the latter trains at the Mayweather gym in Michigan.

Just because you own the gym doesn't mean you win, bitch!

Quintana did a li'l more in-and-out movements in the first, but Latimore also let some fly, too.

I say split this round!

Early in the second, Latimore gave Quintana a low blow. Quintana doesn't take the five-minute optional breather, though. Both these southpaws just kept on exchanging blows, even in the clinch.

It's just like two orthodox fighters sluggin' out. 

In the next couple of rounds, we see Latimore smotherin' Quintana. But even with all the smotherin', Quintana was still givin' Latimore the ole' one-two's.

We see both guys throwin' their best combos so far in the mid-rounds. Latimore was blockin' heavy Quintana bombs, but got nailed still. Latimore had his hands full with all this Quintana trouble. He may be bothered by the cut on his left eye. Hence, his full hands. Then all of a sudden, Cotto appears.

Shouldn't you be in the locker room?

In the sixth round, Quintana just loaded up. Latimore got floored the fuck up with left hooks. He tried to stand up, but he couldn't. Quintana wins via K.O.!

Doctor Who. Series 2

After Christopher Eccleston, we now move on to the new Doctor, the Tenth. And his name is David Tennant.

The Doctor may have changed, but the companions remain the same. Same old Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). Same old Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke). Same old TARDIS.

Let's talk about this regeneration thing. If this were another fictional universe, I would definitely complain about changing actors within the same franchise. I complained when Marvel changed War Machine from Terrence Howard to Don Cheadle in Iron Man. I cringed a bit when DC replaced Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal for the role of Rachel Dawes in the Christopher Nolan Batman franchise. But the creators of Doctor Who had that ironed out decades ago by creating the whole regeneration thing. One of the good things about being a Time Lord is that when you die, you can regenerate with a whole new body, a whole new personality, but the same memories. So when you get problems with an actor, whether it be on- or off-camera, you can just kill him off and replace him with another. Then the series can live on forever! Brilliant!


"Children in Need Special"

BBC

That's a real working number on the screen.
International rates apply.

This is David Tennant's first adventure as the Doctor. He's so fresh he even has Christopher Eccleston's wardrobe on him. Seeing as this is just an approximately 6-minute long video, this short serves no purpose whatsoever but to provide a smooth transition for viewers. Remember, Series 1 is the Doctor's first television appearance in years, and new viewers might find the regeneration thing a bit jarring. So they had to dedicate this short just to make sure the viewers didn't lose their bearings.

Game of Thrones. Season 2, Episode 7: "A Man Without Honor"

When you have a saga with a huge universe, either of these two problems will crop up. One, you will tend to concentrate all your characterization into the lead character, then tend to ignore developing the other major characters. Or two, you tend to characterize everyone equally, making it seem like there is no single main character at all.

In the case of Game of Thrones, it's the first problem. Everyone was too busy thinking about what would be the best way to kill the bastard Joffrey Baratheon that they forgot there's an even bigger sociopath in the Seven Kingdoms─his father uncle father-uncle, Jaime Lannister.

HBO

Now he totally looks like an incestuous redneck.

Dark Shadows Review, or Is There a Team Burton?

YouTube

A lot of people who wish to sound smart will comment on the fact that director Tim Burton seems to be using the same actors over and over again. Well, yes he is. But you can't blame him for that. It saves thousands of dollars per movie, money which can be redirected to the other departments such as costumes and special effects. So if you're a director, it pays to marry and be best friends with great actors.

But going back to the topic─is there a Team Burton? The answer is yes, there is definitely a Team Burton, and yes, that pun was forced. And I shall show you by analyzing the last five movies of Tim Burton, this film included. And those films are, in reverse order of chronology: Dark Shadows, Alice in Wonderland, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Corpse Bride, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

On the surface, the three actors common to all five films are:

Johnny Depp

Movie Fanatic

Those finger extensions look fake
as well as horrendous.

Weird, oddball role: Check.

Weird, oddball acting: Check.

Literary Icons: Maurice Sendak

Time Inc.

Yes, he does look like a grumpy old man.

Maurice Sendak is a renowned author and illustrator of children's books, often considered a revolutionary in children's literature. I do have memories of encountering his work when I was a kid, but it was only in college when I majored in literature did I fully appreciate just how great Maurice Sendak is.

Although he has written several children's books, he is best-known for writing and illustrating Where the Wild Things Are, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1964, and was also turned into a movie back in 2009. And should he go down in history for that single book, it wouldn't matter. Mr. Sendak has already left his legacy. He has touched the lives of writers, illustrators, and readers alike. One of his favorite fan mails is from an 8-year-old boy, who writes, "Dear Mr. Sendak, [h]ow much does it cost to get to where the wild things are? If it is not expensive, my sister and I would like to spend the summer there." Reading that actually made me cry.

As recently as last year, 2011, Maurice Sendak was still very much in the game, with Bumble-Ardy. Here's a radio interview from September last year, where aside from his new book, he discusses his life and his legacy. And about death, all he had to say was, "I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready." In his own words, he is a happy old man, but he will be crying his way to the grave.

Here is my tribute to Maurice Sendak, with everything drawn by Sendak himself, his face taken from one of his self-portraits and composited over an illustration from his famous book. The picture shows the Wild Things giving Mr. Sendak a proper send-off along the River Styx, and as we appreciate this simple tribute, let us give a moment of silence for the loss of a literary great.

Maurice Bernard Sendak. 10 June 1928 ─ 8 May 2012.