*****THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*****
I’ve been a Good Wife fan for about three years now. Thanks to The Hallmark Channel and a week long blizzard, I was able to catch up on the lost seasons and get reacquainted with the characters. About a month later, our male lead, Josh Charles’s character, Will Garner, was Continue reading
If I have not shared my love of the extremely talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt before, allow me to gush now. I’m a huge fan of regular Joe and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying his new variety show, HitRecord TV, on Pivot. HitRecord TV is a collaborative project started by Joe and his brother, Dan (1974-2010), in 2005. It began as an online spring board for artists around the world to get inspired and share their work in a community forum. With Joe’s writing, directing, and production skills, the site has developed into the creative work that it is today. The best part of this show is not just the all-star guests (which range from John Waters to John Krasinski) but that it is a work of art put together using contributions of… just average Joes! Below I’ve listed the highlights of this season’s episodes: Continue reading
Honestly, I wasn’t interested in watching this show for the first couple of seasons. With all of the remakes and reboots out there of superheroes and fairytale characters, I was weary of watching another. It wasn’t until I saw a promo for its new spinoff, Wonderland, that I thought maybe I should give Once Upon a Time a chance.
I have to say I am pretty impressed with how well they’ve stayed true to each character’s original story and yet, strayed far enough away for it to seem fresh. Season three looks to be no exception, with an unlikely team of characters en route to Neverland in an attempt to rescue a young boy.
So, after binge watching two seasons last week I am fully prepared for Once Upon A Time’s season three premiere this Sunday.
Where we left off… Continue reading
There are so many well written articles out there that have been heavily researched by literary theorists and scholars comparing Sons of Anarchy and Hamlet. Just so we are clear, this post is not one of them! In fact, it would be more accurate to compare the next few paragraphs to a diary entry by a passive-aggressive teenage girl. I am not FX’s target demographic, but I started watching SOA less than a year ago. It took one episode for me to get hooked. This show’s amazing writing team has the insane ability to send me into a mild panic attack every single episode! Kurt Sutter gives us the opportunity to be part of a negative fantasy.
On Tuesday, we get to join the brothers of SAMCRO at the table and see what fate has in store for the beloved outlaw motorcycle club. Each character has grown and changed throughout the seasons. Like most shows (and people for that matter), your feelings towards each one and how they react to situations are often mixed. Having said that, I give you my love/ hate list for Sons of Anarchy.
This past Sunday night marked the triumphant return of Breaking Bad, AMC’s critically-acclaimed drama that will come to a close next month after this most recent string of eight episodes. It’s not only one of the best shows currently on the air, it will go down as one of television’s all-time greats. It’s one of the best examples of high-quality serialized storytelling and is definitely one of the crowning achievements of this most recent golden age in television. With that being said, I feel it’s the perfect time to finally reveal this list of my all-time favorite television dramas. Ranking shows is always problematic and this list was easily the most difficult I’ve ever had to compile (I couldn’t even limit it to five shows). With shows like Justified and Game of Thrones still amidst their television runs I chose not to put them on this list, although as we near their conclusions they may just find themselves a spot. I feel it’s safe to say that to truly experience all television has to offer, these following shows are absolutely essential viewing. Let the controversy commence!
During the summer months I usually abandon my TV and head to the theatre instead. Throughout May and June I had a movie date every single weekend. After the fourth, my blockbuster interest started to dwindle (as did my entertainment budget). To bust my boredom, I turned to summer TV and was pleasantly surprised at what I found.
On Sunday night, I was introduced to a circle of friends who know the ins and outs of the Beverly Hills elite. Devious Maids follows five women who clean up more than their employers’ houses.
With the Emmy nominations scheduled for release tomorrow, July 18th, it’s that time of the year to look back on what turned out to be an eventful year in television. Although it was one that didn’t exactly provide many newcomers to threaten the veterans atop critics’ leaderboards, it was nonetheless one with its fair share of surprises and disappointments. That’s not even to mention the welcome return of one of the greatest television comedies of all-time. So here it is, in all its glory, my summation of the year in television; from those shows that continued to hook me each and every week, to those that birthed a whole new brand of boob tube frustration.
Note: I would be remiss not to mention those shows I was not able to view during the year. Those include Treme, The Newsroom, The Americans, The Good Wife, Homeland, Modern Family, Girls, Veep, and 30 Rock among many others.
Best Comeback
Dexter
(Showtime, 2006 to Present)
I have been HOOKED on this show ever since I stumbled across it. I think I watched both seasons within a couple of weeks (…maybe less). A new season is upon us and I can’t wait!
Where we left off:
The team came out against Hardman and Folsom Foods unscathed (and Hardman’s name *finally* came off the wall).
Harvey (Gabriel Macht) was upset with Jessica (Gina Torres) for making the decision to merge the firm with Edward Darby’s (Conleth Hill) London based firm. So, what did he do? Filed a lawsuit against Darby and made a wager: if he wins, Darby goes back to London, if he loses… well, it’s Harvey.
Dana Scott (Abigail Spencer) tried to gain Harvey’s affections (she ended up not marrying the guy she was engaged to), which meant getting his attention first by taking some of his clients, forcing them to work together. Ultimately, he didn’t seem interested in anything beyond a physical relationship. Ouch.
The will they/won’t they question was answered when Mike (Patrick J. Adams) and Rachel (Meghan Markle) hooked up in the file room… awkwardly.
Rachel received a rejection letter from Harvard and Louis tried to put the blame on himself.
What we might expect from Season 3:
The promo line “A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand” sums up the clips we’ve seen so far the best. Looks like every relationship will be tested.
Continue reading
The newest season of “Covert Affairs” is only weeks away and I can’t wait!
Where we left off:
(the long ->) Simon asked Annie (Piper Perabo) to run away with him to the Maldives. In the end, she decided she couldn’t leave, but just as she was going to tell him, Lena shot them both- killing Simon and leaving Annie in critical condition. Auggie (Christopher Gorham) and Joan (Kari Matchett) eventually figured out that Lena was a double agent before she could kill Annie in a second attempt. Lena slipped away to Russia, while Annie tried to get her strength back. Annie went to Russia to find Lena, and killed her (in self-defense… mostly). But, Annie was found there and taken by the FSB to be interrogated about Simon’s ops. Eyal (Oded Fehr) and Auggie worked together to get Annie out of the Russian prison where she was being held. When she came back home, she worked with Eyal again because Mossad needed important intel. The mission eventually led Annie and Eyal to find Khalid Ansari and his girlfriend, Megan. Annie turned Megan, putting her in danger from Khalid, although we later find out it was really Khalid’s father who ordered the hit. (the short->) Annie traveled abroad to find Megan but found herself in a trap set by Khalid’s men, who later took Eyal hostage. After a successful rescue, Annie said goodbye to Eyal and flew home with Auggie. She later had a secret meeting with Henry Wilcox (Gregory Itzin) and agreed to work with him on an unknown project (Joan and Arthur’s (Peter Gallagher) names were mentioned), and Annie and Auggie finally had that conversation they’d been meaning to have for some time, and admitted their feelings for each other with a kiss.
What we might expect from Season 4:
The new season promo shows Annie tracking moles within the CIA. Looks like she’s kicking ass and taking names!
The Land of Happy
Have you been to The Land of Happy,
Where everyone’s happy all day,
Where they joke and they sing
Of the happiest things,
And everything’s jolly and gay?
There’s no one unhappy in Happy,
There’s laughter and smiles galore.
I have been to The Land of Happy –
What a bore!
– Shel Silverstein
*** Spoliers Alert ***
I wonder at what age George R.R. Martin read this little poem. He certainly took it to heart. I don’t know about you, but after last night’s Red Wedding, I almost banned Starks and Lannisters and Freys for good. I knew that what happened was going to happen, but I was still holding out for a possible last-minute story change. Martin may look like Santa Claus, but this guy is definitely on my suspect list of possible Dementors. It seems like every time a character in his series has a string of hope – snap, crackle, pop – string of hope diminished. It gets very frustrating to me as a reader and a viewer, because I fall in love with these characters (especially Jon Snow!), and their hopes and horrors become my desires and fears. I mean, we’re in a world of dragons and direwolves. Can’t we get a fairy godmother or two?
However, before I told the whole of Seven Kingdoms to kiss it, I began to understand (kind of) what Martin was saying: life is not a fairy tale, and happy endings are hard to come by. And, although we may not be facing Tywin Lannister on a daily basis, we’re facing all kinds of other obstacles. I hope this doesn’t make you too depressed, because I just reread it, and now I’m a little depressed. At least I didn’t bring up the White Walkers…oops.
Okay, so I’ve decided that even though Martin’s characters continue to suffer and struggle but sometimes overcome – usually not – they’re still moving forward. So the next time you ask yourself, “Why am I still watching/reading this?” “Why do I continue to put my soul through this torment?” just remember that like the characters, you’re still moving forward, you’re still hoping…. It’s going to get better (maybe). It can’t get much worse (possibly).
-Hillari
The Miserables 