Tuesday, 20 August 2013

TV: Under The Dome

This is the biggest drama of the summer in the US and it came to UK shores last night and I decided to watch it.

It's an adaptation of Stephen King's book of the same name, where a small town tries to survive when a mysterious dome falls down on to it sectioning them from the rest of the world.

This show has miles of intrigue and questions, the main one being "who put the dome there and why?" which will keep viewers watching week after week.  There are some interesting casting choices too, mainly Jeff Fahey (Lost) and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad).

Two issues I have with this show, mainly with the format, rather than the story.  My first issue is that this would be a lot better as a movie or trilogy as 13 weeks of the same people in the same area will get rather boring, you can't do what Lost did and add new people at random and assume they were there the whole time. 

The second issue is the network it's on in America (this doesn't concern UK viewers), in the US, this is being broadcast on CBS, one of the four biggest networks in the country and network TV today can't do drama well, especially with Homeland, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, etc. dominating the cable networks.  No network TV drama has been nominated for an Emmy for 2 years now because cable TV dramas break barriers, do more daring things and haven't got as many executives trying to water down any crazy original ideas that writers may have.  Under The Dome has potential to shock audiences with twists and turns, but with it being run by a major network and with it being an adaptation, I just hope higher powers won't ruin it and make it predictable.

Bottom line: A great idea, great concept, impressive first episode, keep it going and keep the audience guessing!

Thursday, 8 August 2013

TV: My Guide To 2013-14 US Comedies

As you may or may not know, my life revolves around US comedies, I know what works and what doesn't, though my opinions and interests sometimes differ from the norm.  I've watched a load of promos for the new US comedies on Youtube and I am gonna help you work out which ones to watch, avoid or give a chance.

MUST WATCH:

We Are Men: 4 divorced guys living in a bachelor apartment building trying to get back in the dating world.  I was skeptical, but this actually looks entertaining, Tony Shaloub is the star of this show and it does have a certain charm to it as well!

Dads: Two guys trying to cope with their elderly, crazy fathers.  Again, this surprised me and I know some people will hate this show, but Seth Green & Giovanni Ribisi are the stars and I do like both of them.  There are some decent gags in this show and I will definitely be watching it.

The Crazy Ones: A dad and daughter run an ad agency.  First of all, Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar are in it, that's already great, but this one has heart as well as laughs.  Think a funny version of Mad Men.  One to watch especially for the star value.

The Michael J. Fox Show: A news reporter returns to TV after battling Parkinson's Disease, partly based on Fox's own life.  Another show to watch for the star value, Back To The Future is one of my favourite films and I am glad Michael J Fox is back on TV.  The show is quite heart-warming and entertaining simply because of Fox.


MUST AVOID:

The Millers:  This is being billed as CBS's big new comedy, though I think it falls on its face as it's full of cliches and annoying characters.  I do like Will Arnett, because of Arrested Development, so it is a shame he's doing this.

Trophy Wife:  All Modern Family fans should avoid this show as it's a lame attempt to be like it, even Modern Family today is still better than this.

The Goldbergs: It's basically an excuse to appeal to the 80's kids, it doesn't appeal or impress me that much.

GIVE IT A CHANCE:

Mom: A waitress tries to cope with raising her two kids and her mother.  This is definitely a show which is on the fence for me.  I do grow tired of the whole "blame the parents" bits on comedies nowadays, but Anna Faris & Allison Janney are good in this, so give it chance.

Surviving Jack: A father tries to help raise his kids.  This does have legs, but like with The Goldbergs, this tries to appeal to a certain era, I'd give it a chance as 90's culture is starting to get popular and this had more of a drive to it.

Us & Them: Two people from different walks of life meet and fall in love.  I know this is the "Gavin & Stacey" remake, but I think this looks really good and it should at least be given a chance.

I know I haven't gotten to all the new US comedies as there are a lot of them, but these were the ones that stood out for whatever reason.  If you live in the USA, hope this helps.  Anyway else, if they make it to Comedy Central or E4, you know they are good!

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Film: The World's End

Been a while since I did a proper film review, so I thought I's start up with the third film in the Cornetto Trilogy: The World's End.

The film is 5 childhood friends reuniting to attempt their hometown's "golden mile", basically a pub crawl, how very British!  However, their town has been taken over by blue blooded robots and while 4 of the friends want to leave the town, one of them (Simon Pegg's character) wants to stay and finish the crawl as they failed the first time.

This film is about as British as it comes, usually that was be an offensive remark in my eyes as Britain doesn't come across well in movies, we're either bad guys in Hollywood or chavs and gangsters in London.  This film is about 5 average guys doing something considered a British thing, never heard of pub crawls in the US.  The film is also in some way a coming-of-age film, especially for Gary (Pegg) who still acts the same as he did when he was a teenager, though his friends have grown up and had lives and that itself is quite an interesting topic, also the fact that Pegg and Frost's characters hate each other is a nice twist as they are always buddies in the previous films and Paul, the alien comedy.

The film, like the other two, have laughs aplenty, mainly from Pegg, which is a change as Frost had the great lines in Hot Fuzz.  Most of the stuff is silly but that's what I love and there are a few clever jokes thrown in for good measure.  The story itself is quite good too, the transition from buddy comedy to sci-fi action movie is very quick and the characters are surprisingly very good at hand-to-hand combat, though I don't want to dwell on technical things like that!

SPOILERS BELOW!!

The ending really surprised me, mainly because everything works out in the previous two films and they all live happily ever after, but it's not the case with this film.  Two of the five characters die and the world effectively ends sending everyone into the "dark ages".  Though the characters have some form of happy ending, it's not the ideal "Hollywood" style ending, but then again, this is a very British film!!

What did you think of "The World's End"?

Friday, 26 July 2013

Film: The Disney/Pixar Films Ranked!


Last week I watched the latest offering from Pixar: Monsters University.  Instead of just yammering on about it, I thought I would talk a little about all of them and rank them in order of how good I think they are, seeing as I've grown up with all these movies and I feel some are far better than others.

14. Cars 2
Many people considered this film to be a step back for Pixar and I agree, although you've got Michael Caine in it, it's by far the worse offering Pixar has given us.

13. Brave
After a series of critically acclaimed films, Pixar had a tough job topping that with an original story.  The trailers suggested a "Hunger Games" style story with a ginger Scottish girl dominating over the boys, however it wasn't the case.  It was a heart-felt story, but nothing we haven't seen before.

12. Cars
Of course this was better than the sequel, but this film didn't feel like there was a story behind it.  The talking cars is of course a novelty, but it wares off when you realise it's a coming-of-age story with no real (forgive the pun) drive.

11. Ratatouille
A lot of people really love this film, but I never really got into it.  Not as heart-felt as previous films and it didn't have as much backing as other Pixar films may have had.

10. A Bug's Life
A forgotten gem in the Pixar history.  While I like this film with it's drama, emotion and laughs, it may have been released before its time.  If they released the first 2 Toy Story films back to back and left Bug's Life a few years, it would've been a bigger classic than the film most of us forget.

9. Toy Story 2
A surprisingly low rank for the second in one of the best trilogies of all time, but when you compare with other Pixar offerings, this film doesn't match up.  I love all the Toy Story films equally when put together, but this is competing with classics and there are better stories told in the world of Pixar.

8. Monsters Inc.
That's right, I think the sequel was better, only just though. Monsters Inc provides emotion, mainly from the Sulley/Boo relationship and Mike brings the laughs.  While emotion was high, laughs weren't as high, which is why the sequel was better.

7. Monsters University
I told you the sequel was only just better.  After the first film focused on Sulley and Mike was there as the funny guy, it was nice to flesh out Mike in this film, see his history and realise how much of a jock Sulley was at college.  This film provided laughs a plenty and while emotion wasn't as high as Inc, the laughs were high enough to carry this film.

6. The Incredibles
The best of the mediocre Pixar films.  It was the first to have main human characters, the drama was through the roof and it felt the most "real" out of all of the Pixar films.  Granted the comedy was sparse in this film, but it was saved by Edna "E" Mode.

5. Toy Story
The film that started it all.  Not only a technological triumph, but an all-round great family film.  Great story, great voice acting and to this day, still watchable for all ages.  When I'm older, I will make my kids watch this and they will love it (or I will force them to love it!)

4. Finding Nemo
I defy anyone not to cry or be on the edge of their seat during the opening scene of this film.  Again, less on the laughs, more of the the emotion, but you really get a sense that the journey Marlin & Dory take is incredible and as a child, it's the first adventure film you will watch and be impressed with the journey these characters took.

3. Up
A life-long love story told in 10 minutes without a word being said and it will make you cry, the magic of Pixar.  This film has everything, you've got the emotion, you have the drama and you have the laughs.  You can watch this film again and again and never get tired of seeing this beautiful story.

2. Wall-E
The story of the world's most adorable robot.  This film has very few words spoken, especially in the first half, but it doesn't defer from an beautiful story of robot love and an important message about global warming, it keeps everyone happy!

1. Toy Story 3
The timeless classic that proves not all sequels are bad.  Regardless of whether you grew up with Woody and the gang or just meeting them for the first time, this film truly has it all, from Buzz's Spanish alter-ego to Andy's heart-wrenching goodbye, I'll admit I was even crying at the end of that, this film is perfect, not only the best Pixar film, but one of the greatest films of all time.

Do you agree with that ranking?  Is Toy Story 3 the best Disney/Pixar film of all or is there there one better?

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

News: Emmy Nominations 2013 (Comedy)

My views on last year's Emmys were so popular, I thought why not look at this year's batch.

Comedy Series
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Girls
Louie
Modern Family
Veep

My views remain the same as last year, not a strong year for Modern Family, Big Bang should win it for once!

Best Comedy Actor
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Jason Bateman - Arrested Development
Louis C.K. - Louie
Don Cheadle - House of Lies
Matt Le Blanc - Episodes
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory

While I am a TBBT fan, I'm happy Matt Le Blanc & Jason Bateman have received nominations, either them or Parsons and I'm happy.

Best Comedy Actress
Laura Dern - Enlightened
Lena Dunham - Girls
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep
Amy Poehler - Parks & Recreation

I am not a avid watcher of any of these shows, though I predict either Lena Dunham or Julia Louis-Dreyfus winning

Best Supporting Actor
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Adam Driver - Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Modern Family
Bill Hader - Saturday Night Live
Tony Hale - Veep
Ed O'Neill - Modern Family

It'll be another Modern Family win, I want Ed O'Neill to win this year, though I suspect Ty Burrell will win this year.

Best Supporting Actress
Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky - Veep
Jane Krakowski - 30 Rock
Jane Lynch - Glee
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family
Merritt Wever - Nurse Jackie

Julie Bowen has won this 2 years in a row, either Sofia Vergara or Mayim Bialik should wi n it this year, though I do like Jane Lynch.

Best Guest Actor
Bobby Cannavale - Nurse Jackie
Louie C.K. - Saturday Night Live
Will Forte - 30 Rock
Nathan Lane - Modern Family
Bob Newhart - The Big Bang Theory
Justin Timberlake - Saturday Night Live

Hard to believe Justin Timberlake & Bob Newhart are in the same category, though I would like either of them to win, more Newhart than Timberlake though!

Best Guest Actress
Dot-Marie Jones - Glee
Mellisa Leo - Louie
Mellisa McCarthy - Saturday Night Live
Molly Shannon - Enlightened
Elaine Stritch - 30 Rock
Kristen Wiig - Saturday Night Live

Mellisa McCarthy wins everything, so it'll be her, simple as that!

Do you agree/disagree with any opinions?

Friday, 5 April 2013

TV: Chuck

Continuing on with the theme of US TV drama, now time for something a bit more light-hearted, the recently ended comedy-drama Chuck.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Chuck is a show about a nerdy guy, called Chuck, who is sent an email with government secrets on it which are now inside his brain.  A result of this is, he has "flashes" of information about various secrets and bad guys and he is also monitored by Sarah Walker, a CIA agent, and John Casey, a NSA agent, who use him in missions and must keep the secrets in his head secret from everyone, including his family and friends.

This is easily one of my all time favourite shows, simply for its light-heartedness, comedy and storyline.  What sets Chuck aside from other shows is that it dabbles in both comedy and drama almost seamlessly; you have Chuck, Sarah and Casey in fast-paced, high tension spy drama, then you have Morgan (Chuck's best friend) and company in the Buy More (where Chuck and Morgan work) getting involved in situations that border on farce, all in one episode and sometimes the two stories collide.

What is brilliant about the show is the love story between Chuck and Sarah, in the early days, you could feel sorry for Chuck as he was fighting a losing battle for Sarah's affections, especially as they had to pretend to be a couple, but you soon see how much she cares for him and the episode where she says "I love you" to Chuck is easily my favourite episode.  My favourite character is Morgan, simply because he's a big kid, he can't take responsibility for himself, he's a slacker, but he's the most loyal friend anyone could wish for and he sticks by Chuck no matter what.  Then there's Jeffster, the duo you can't not hate, their singing performances in later seasons are just brilliant to watch, even if the characters hate it!

Overall, Chuck is a show which geeks and nerds still love and many shed a tear that it isn't on anymore (including myself), but with rumours of a film in the near future, you can't help but think that the world's favourite nerd herder may just come back to the spy game once more!

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

TV: The Walking Dead

My first post in a while will be about my new favorite drama,, The Walking Dead.  To those who don't know what it's about, it's set in a world where a pandemic has turned people into mindless "walkers" and a group of people lead by Georgia sheriff Rick Grimes attempt to survive not only against the walkers, but also anyone who threatens them in this new dog-eat-dog world.

What I love about this show is the premise, it's simple and effective.  It doesn't try to be fancy or classy or cool, it is what it is and it is awesome.  With a show like this, you expect the same people fighting zombies every week, but it isn't the case, they don't just fight zombies, especially in the recent third season.  Every season has a new feel, new setting and new challenges for the group to face and every few episodes, a well-known or beloved character will see a bloody end, the question is always "Who will it be?"  This aspect of the show keeps you on your toes as you never know who is next to die, a prime example is Lori, Rick's wife, who died early in the third season, no one saw this coming, it was a huge blow to everyone and really emphasised the point that no one is safe.

The characters are also well thought out, deep, complex individuals, two examples of this are The Governor, played incredibly by David Morrisey, a man who has lost everything due to the pandemic and Rick's group and as a result has become corrupt and evil.  Another is the mysterious Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, whose actions speak louder than her words.  You had no idea if she was good or bad and that made her interesting to see as her character develops.  Another character to watch out for is Carl, Rick's son, as I think he'll play a big part in season 4 due to his desensitized nature.

My one concern about this show is how it ends each season, as it doesn't give you enough to make watch the next one.  Seasons 2 and 3 had quite anti-climatic endings, which makes me concerned about how it will the end the whole show, as it may not give the audience what they want or expect.  But it is only one fault in an other wise enjoyable show.

Overall, The Walking Dead is an interesting, well-presented piece of drama which shows no sign of slowing down.

Monday, 1 April 2013

News: I'm Back, Baby Doll!!

It's official, What In The World is coming back!  After 7 months of silence, I am now ready to return to giving you all my take on news, TV, films and celebrities.

First of all, I am sorry I stopped in September, but it was around the time I went back to university and the work pretty much took over my life, so the blogging just stopped.  But now all the coursework is done and all that's left is one exam and a work placement in the space of two months.

Secondly, there has been a lot going on and I may talk about that, as well as what happened in between September 2012 and now, so embrace it and enjoy it!

Expect the first post about my new favourite TV drama in the next few days!