Most readers out there are already very aware of FlashForward, a fantastic new Sci-Fi Drama series coming out of ABC Studios (oh yeah, just like the best Sci-Fi thriller ever, Lost). But what you might not be aware of is that the ever wonderful Hulu is running all 10 episodes of FlashForward right now so as to gear up viewers for the Season One relaunch going down on March 18. Many viewers were blown away when this show just left the airwaves mid December and might have even thought - well all is Lost now (pun intended), the show must be dead. Far from it. ABC just has so much good programming going on right now as well as, you know, being owned by Disney, that they have the liberty to stop a hit series mid season, let it die down a second and come back FIRING with an uninterrupted 14 episodes starting mid March to blast away the new shows NBC tries to throw on the air for May Sweeps.
FlashForward is a grab you by the balls thriller that although is a bit hokey and far fetched, is great Sci-Fi and does a fantastic job of weaving in real life, RIGHT NOW issues like Blackwater and Particle Accelerators. The best part is, if you are like me, you usually let the first season of a show go until the end for two reasons. One - there is nothing better than watching an entire season of show BACK TO BACK TO BACK and not having to wait the dreadful week between good episodes. And two - why waste your time with a show that is a bust. Well with the current situation we are in with FlashForward, you get the best of both worlds. One, you get the 10 episodes on Hulu right now to wet the whistle (just try the pilot episode above, it honestly will hook you immediately). Then, when you are good and hooked, you can start watching what is in fact still the long portion of the first season and not have that feeling of dread when Season One comes out on DVD and you realize, aw man, it's 24 hour-long episodes.
To specifics about why I love the show. It is extremely fast paced, which I love. There are many scenes that require tons of description and dialogue so that you understand what is going on but fast edits and intense music make these squeal past. But the another great part is, YOU NEVER ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. They have the amazing liberty to throw whatever they want at you and every time you think you are being so cleaver and are on top of it, BOOM, you were wrong. The leads are all studs and babes (except Agent Noh, otherwise known as John Cho or the Asian from Harold & Kumar) and the music that keeps the whole thing going is unique and catchy.
The show is not all good, there are literally entire story lines that I could just do without. But if you are like me, and you love what ABC did with Lost (yes, do not remind me this is the last season), then you will love FlashForward. Many fans out there are even connecting the two shows. I am not sure why, I mean they only have like 10 of the same characters, billboards for "Oceanic Airlines" and similar time morphing plots. Come on people, grabbing at straws!
Watch the pilot above, hit up Hulu for the next 9 episodes and have a great Spring FlashingForward with FlashForward...
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Video Game Attack -- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
With a new segment to the Blog, I'm going to take Goodenough Films to a new level. Well, a new level of nerdyness. If you know me, you know I love the Wii. I know it is kinda lame to like at my age, but I can't help it. I just feel like they have the most innovative games that keep my attention longer than most others. I have played every Fifa game there is, every Madden, and first person shooter. But what Wii gives me is just something new. And so commences round one of the Video Game Attack.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the game right now. I will admit, as much as I love the Wii I only seem to like the games Nintendo makes on their own. From Wii Sports to Mario Kart, Wii Resort and now Super Mario Bros, I have not been disappointed. But when it comes to, literally, anything else made for the system I think they are SUPER weak. Back to the point, NSMBW (figure it out) took me about a month to beat all the way with all Gold Coins and such. This is about as long as it has ever taken me to beat a Mario game so I must be getting old (although it did feel good to still be able to take it all the way). The game can only truly be player seriously one player, but I have had some amazing times, with a few drinky drinks in me, with the multiplayer scenario. Just the fact that they gave that option is a unique touch that just helps set this as the best 2D game... maybe ever. And with 10 million copies of this game sold, I am not the only loser playing this bad boy.
I know what you are saying, Mr. Goodenough, why the hell are you reviewing a video game on a Film site? Well... THAT'S JUST HOW I ROLL. More than that, the Wii is just the start of a whole new world we are all going to have to accept - a three dimentional world or TV, Movies, and ABSOLUTELY video games. Obviously this is a VERY 2D game, but Wii will certainly be at the very forefront of the new age of entertainment where the TV screen looks more like real life and, low and behold your movements are being acted out as you move. Hop on the bandwagon or get left behind.
GAME GRADE: A-
Film Review -- An Education (PG-13)
Released January 18, 2010
“If people die the moment that they graduate, then surely it's the things we do beforehand that count.”
Those of the words of Jenny (Carey Mulligan), the 16 year old schoolgirl protagonist of An Education. For Jenny, life is a routine of good grades, dorky boys and parents for whom the best is not quite good enough. She is a star of the all-girl’s school she attends, casually drops French into common conversation and spends every waking hour crafting, along with her parents, ways to improve her chances of getting into Cambridge. Yet as with every above-average teenager, the routine can tire quickly for if she died before she went to Cambridge, she’d having nothing to show but empty cigarette boxes and a few bad Latin grades.
Outside of Jenny’s bedroom, away from the textbooks and tests, England herself stands at an odd juxtaposition. Behind her lays the ravages of the War and the end of Empire. In front, faintly visible like the early seconds of a sunrise, stands swinging London, rock and roll and a time when England will be cool. However England in 1961 is fully, and happily, square. It is Leave it to Beaver plus afternoon tea. It is not what Jenny is looking for.
But David is.
David (Peter Sarsgaard) is a handsome older man of an undetermined age. Jenny’s meeting with him is a chance one. She stands in the rain with a cello and he offers her a ride. Well… not her but her cello, for as a fan of music he couldn’t “bear to see such a beautiful instrument ruined.” Eventually room for Jenny is found in his sports car and the movie truly begins. Their initial meeting shows all the characteristics of what the future holds for the two of them; David suave and sophisticated, Jenny starry-eyed and smitten.
Their courtship begins quickly after as David shows Jenny a sliver of the life she’d only read about. Concerts, late night dinners, weekend trips to Cambridge and Paris. David spends his time not only courting Jenny but also, to a degree, her parents as well. Jenny’s father Jack (Alfred Molina), naturally weary of an older man who has eyes for his daughter, soon too falls under David’s spell, helped along by Jenny’s mother Marjorie (Cara Seymour), who wants her daughter to have all the experiences that she never did.
The idea of romantic entanglements with young girls has been a staple of a wide range of mediums for as long as dirty old men have lustily dreamed about it. Lolita, The Police’s great tune “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and more, enough material to fill a gated “18 +” section at video store. Yet An Education tells the story from the girl’s perspective, creating an entirely different narrative. While most of these types of stories would inevitably include a scene in which some bro regales his other bros with stories about his young conquests, it’s instead Jenny, in full schoolgirl regalia, who dishes the dirt to the other girls in her school. Thus instead of a story about lust and desire, it’s the story of a young girl falling in love, trading in her old life for something shiny and new.
Above all this is a movie about The Other Foot. I spent the majority of the movie nervously checking the time remaining in the movie; waiting to see if and when this perfect life that Jenny has slowly built with David will all come crashing down. David’s possibly questionable background bubbles to the surface throughout the movie but, much like Jenny, you do your best to excuse any of his possible indiscretions because he does seem to truly love her and you, much like her father, want only the best for her.
The acting, the cinematography and the script by author and personal favorite Nick Hornby are all tremendous. Alfred Molina’s work as an uptight English father slowly seduced by the dashing David is among the best supporting acting I’ve seen this year. Emma Thompson’s small role as the school superintendent is correspondingly wonderful. Yet it is the 22 year old Carey Mulligan who steals the show. With the right mix of intelligence and fragility, Mulligan becomes the girl we’ve all known, the girl with the concrete belief that she is smarter than everyone. The movie leads you to wonder that if “it's the things we do beforehand that count,” Jenny would be better off packed away among Latin dictionaries and English papers than off cavorting with an older man, putting her heart, and her future, on the line.
3.5 out of 4
(Review by Jordan Beane)
Monday, January 25, 2010
News -- 2010 Super Bowl
Film Review -- The Lovely Bones (PG-13)
Released January 15, 2010
Hey… You’re that Salmon girl…
On an auspicious Tuesday night I ventured to the Hamilton AMC movie complex to see Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, a movie based on Alice Sebold’s best selling novel (2002). I had seen some previews for the movie and it looked like a potentially awesome psychological thriller. I hadn’t read the novel so I wasn’t entirely familiar with the plot but did know it had something to do with a girl who is murdered, raped, and while in some sort of “in-between” world, helps guide her father (Marky Mark) towards her killer (Stanley Tucci), whose performance is unbelievable – he was one of the best creepers I think I’ve ever seen (I even tweeted about it). It seems most people get the gist of the film from the previews, so I won’t spend any time recapping what it’s about, and for those who are not familiar, I won’t give too much away. I’ll merely give some of my impressions, and you can take it for what it’s worth…
The movie was… fine. It didn’t move me. It had moments that were extraordinarily well done. Moments of great acting. Moments that were captivating, and moments of strong dialogue. But, at the end of the day, it was just fine. Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), the protagonist and victim is an endearing, but homely high school freshman who seems like she could be in 7th grade. One of my gripes with the movie, while small, is that her dream boy, a senior in high school who looks like a British Mark Sanchez (Ray Singh, played by Reece Ritchie) falls in love with her just before she is murdered, after meeting her just once. This relationship is not developed and it is unclear (w'sup LVB) how, and if the two actually know each other. It is confusing because earlier in the film Susie claims that Ray doesn’t even know she exists. This is totally ridiculous (well, ridiculous at least to the viewer who is wondering how this could possibly happen… Ray Sanchez is WAY out of her league). Whatever. Fine. It’s a movie, but over and over again throughout the film, Ray continues to drop the most UNBELIEVABLY corny lines, which without fail evoke a burst of laughter, and maybe a snort… Let me explain: "You ah Beeeeeeutifel, Susie Salmon".
I literally had to cover my mouth when Ray drops these lines (it happens about three times throughout the movie, but only in the most serious of scenes). My issue is not specifically about this relationship, but things like this make the tone of the movie very confusing and difficult to determine. At times, the viewer is overcome with great sadness. At other times, it’s light and interesting and mysterious. The viewer simply is taken in and out of 'the zone' by these silly moments. There’s another character who was a huge distraction for me – Holly (Nikki SooHoo) whose character could easily be mistaken for Miss Bunny Swan from Mad TV. Holly was murdered by Susie’s same murderer and bonds with Susie in the in between world. The fake Asian accent that SooHoo puts on is wildly distracting and sort of hilarious.
The best part of the movie for me was Stanley Tucci’s incendiary performance as George Harvey, the killer. His lines (unlike Ray’s and Holly’s) are fierce and timely. Tucci completely nails this role, and frankly, saves this film from being a flop. Tucci reminds all of the viewers how terrifying and real children stalkers/murderers/rapists are. The line he uses twice, first on Susie Salmon, and then on her sister, gives goosebumps… "Hey, you’re that Salmon girl from down the street!” Oooooof. I would be terrified of this man, even though he’s an old creeper who at the end of the movie is completely juked and over powered by Susie’s 'healthy' younger sister. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. Stanley Tucci was great.
I’m sorry if this review was all over the place. It’s difficult for me to get over some aspects of this movie and it is unfortunate that those small things took so much away from the seriousness and legitimacy of the film for me. I certainly appreciated many aspects of the film, but this day and age, you gotta give me a little more than what this movie gave me… I left thinking, what the hell was that movie about?
Final Word: I’d skip it or read the novel, which is supposed to be really great.
2 out of 4
(Review by Luke of Earl)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Original -- Wired Up
Link: Stump Mithcell
Site: Redskins Blog
Length: 3:22
Music Videos -- Ellie Goulding
Link: Starry Eyed
Site: YouTube
Length: 3:05
As a side note, I also love YouTube's new way of handling high definition content. Allowing me to chose what resolution I want by the exact specs really makes the nerd in me happy. Loving the entire experience. CHECK THE VIDEO OUT!
Site Update -- 100th Post!
New to... DVD -- A Serious Man (R)
DVD Release Date: February 9, 2010
The Coen Brothers go return to their roots in A Serious Man. Since 1984 these two creative native Minnesotans have made nearly a dozen classic movies. Last year's A Serious Man is unique with its glimpse into the evolution of the "two headed director". Set in suburban St. Paul (where they grew up), audiences experience a different time, place, and for many a foreign culture. A Serious Man is a comedy that showcases their film making genius from start to finish. Along with wacky dream sequences there are many consistent components in this that are present in all Coen Brothers films. The greatest achievement which reigns true in all of their films is their careful and superb use of ambiguity. There are countless surprises carefully woven into the plot to keep our minds involved throughout the film.
The Gopnik family is not boring or predictable. Set in the late 60's this Jewish family makes the Arnold family of The Wonder Years look truly square. Acclaimed theatre actor Michael Stuhlbarg plays the father, Larry Gopnik, in what should be his coming out party to the film world. Larry has many roles, many of which are rapidly changing during A Serious Man. He is the father of two adolescents, part of a "marriage", professor at a university, and a loving brother. As the story progresses we see that the mutations in Larry's life are beyond his control. He often relies on outsiders for guidance. Rabbis, lawyers and friends prove to be little help for Larry who eventually finds support from his neighbor. The film depicts the struggles within him to retain and abandon parts of his identity.
One of the most interesting relationships in A Serious Man is between Larry and his brother Arthur, played by Richard Kind (Spin City, Curb Your Enthusiasm). While Kind doesn't play the clown like caricature that made him famous, he reveals a darker disturbed side in a subtle way. The two brothers are troubled in different ways but their support for one another never fades. They both follow Jewish traditions which are a needed source of stability as more than their address changes. Rational thinking and mathematics connect the brothers more than other characters. The interaction between them is natural which gives it power.
Open auditions made the Gopnik children authentic. Their screen time's content is an accurate reflection of the time. Pot, pop culture, rock and roll, and rebellion are examined intently in A Serious Man, just as they were under the microscope in the late 60's. Adam Arkin is hilarious as the lawyer, and the subplot with a South Korean student is also hysterical. The climax of the film is the bar mitzvah scene. As it often is, the evolution from boy to man is amusing. Staying true to their formula, the Coen Brothers save the best for last. Similar to Blood Simple and The Big Lebowski, the ending lets it all comes together. What is left to the audiences imagination is crucial to the films success. Ethan and Joel end A Serious Man with bold decisions being made by different characters. Like in life some of these actions are dictated by people and others are not.
3 out of 4
(Review by Thomas Demerath)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
News -- 2010 Golden Globe Awards
BEST MOTION PICTURE: Avatar
Not very surprised by this. I was more surprised when Up in the Air was being called a shoe in to win the Oscar for best picture. As much as I loved the film, Avatar was much more of an experience.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS - DRAMA: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
I have hated Sandra since Speed. But I hear this is a good movie. Must see it soon.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR - DRAMA: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
The Dude was in a movie??
BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY: The Hangover
Definitely a funny movie but I was hoping (500) Days of Summer would have won. Much more of a complete movie from start to finish. But not nearly Hollywood enough to win at the Globes.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR - COMEDY: Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes
Loved this movie mostly because of RDJ. What a comeback. Can only imagine if he will make a splash with this film at the Oscars. Have to doubt it.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: Up
Definitely better than Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and Coraline although I would probably avoid showing Coraline and Up to anyone under 15. Coraline was terrifying. Up was depressing.
BEST DIRECTION MOTION PICTURE: James Cameron for Avatar
Not a big surprise here. Literally the most amazing part of this all was just thinking of James Cameron conceptualizing this film and making it a reality. A true feat.
BEST SCREENPLAY: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for Up In The Air
Good call. Dialogue and character development amazing in this Reitman film. He wins once again on the page. Is Sheldon Turner another stripper? He loves working with them.
BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA: Mad Men
The Mad Men love-fest continues. Snub to Dexter - the best show on television. Thank god people are critically over House.
BEST PERFORMANCE ACTRESS IN TV SERIES - DRAMA: Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife
Magical Sara must be so happy. Her little show is all grown up.
BEST PERFORMANCE ACTOR IN TV SERIES - DRAMA: Michael C. Hall for Dexter
SUCK ON THAT. Best show on TV. Best of luck to MCH on a speedy recovery from his bout with cancer.
BEST TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY: Glee
Have not watched enough of either series but I will off the bat say huge snub to Modern Family. Might be the best network comedy in ages.
BEST PERFORMANCE SUPPORTING ACTRESS TV SERIES: Chloe Sevigny for Big Love
She's the best. Great show. This season so far has been great. In a huge cast, she always stands out. Much deserved.
BEST PERFORMANCE SUPPORTING ACTOR TV SERIES: John Lithgow for Dexter
Dexter strikes again. Trinity was one of the best characters to hit one of the best shows of all time. Love this win although it is always hard to watch Jeremy Piven not win anything. Ari Gold is an amazing character.
Film Review -- Up In The Air (R)
Released December 23, 2009
After making Thank You for Smoking and Juno the world knew Jason Reitman's name. It is not only his surname which we recognize from his father's iconic work on comic gems like Stripes, Ghostbusters, and Kindergarten Cop, but Jason has made a name for himself with powerful writing and stout directing that creates a reaction. While Up In the Air remains consistent showing both humans highs and lows, it also is the first recent film that explores the devastating effects surrounding unemployment.
The opening areal shots of about one hundred American cities during the credit sequence are magnificent. They are artistically woven through a collage which the music dictates, and even I became a bit homesick. The vast and dramatic geography of America is displayed beautifully. Up in the Air is a meticulously crafted through to the final credits. The story surrounds Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney. Bingham is the ultimate mercenary of the downsizing profession. As the US economy is in the dumps, naturally his business booms, then it is threatened to change. The different places visited in the film are enough to feel like a tour of the Midwest.
A large focus of Up in the Air is in its title. Airports like the aesthetically pleasing and never practical Lambert Field in wonderful St. Louis, Missouri are shown for the first time since Planes, Trains and Automobiles over two decades ago. Ryan Bingham lives in a first class seat above thirty thousand feet. It is not a fascinating life, nevertheless it is a life that many Americans endure. At moments Bingham lives a comical existence and in other scenes he is pathetic, but never does it fail to be real. His environment is changing like the polar bear as technology forces industries to evolve.
Documentary footage shown through interviews are difficult to watch because REAL people show their devastation. Local papers recruited people with ads in news papers hiring people to share about the effects of unemployment. Really scary stuff to see. This is a primary reason for my praising this film so much. The choice to exclude actors from this part and document actual people who were suffering after losing their job is brilliant.
Clooney's supporting cast shines with actors like Zach Galifonakis (The Hangover), Danny McBride (Pineapple Express, Eastbound and Down), and Vera Farmiga (The Departed) who plays an extremely naughty woman. Clooney didn't do anything differently than in Michael Clayton. In fact his character is the same in Up in the Air and Michael Clayton, minus the vices and plus a few more silver hairs. The obvious observation is that Clooney is still Bruce Wayne, Danny Ocean, or Michael Clayton with control of every scene. He does a good job as George Clooney acting as Geoge Clooney as Ryan Bingham. It is the same thing that we see Al Pacino doing which is tragic. All of that knocking aside, Ryan Bingham is a believable character. However, he along with countless other characters in this movie are difficult to empathize with. The beauty of Up in the Air is that is shows the evil attributes of the human condition.
Jason Reitman once again triumphs and continues to be a novelty in Hollywood by feeding audiences more actuality than VH1. Honest and bold substance allows viewers to experience a part of life which is dreaded from various perspectives. People who argue that characters in Up in the Air are not redeemable are correct. The dark side of human beings needs to be exhibited because we can learn from it and appreciate greatness in a new light.
4 out of 4
(Review by Thomas Demerath)
Monday, January 18, 2010
New To... DVD -- The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
DVD Release Date: April 6, 2010
A script that arrives at Nicholas Cage’s (Raising Arizona, Wild at Heart, Adaptation) mansion will get a good read from the aged actor these days. Now bankrupt Cage was shocked when he got a script from famed German director Werner Herzog. It was a match made in heaven. Cage, real last name is Coppola, has been on a downward spiral since his uncle refused to cast him in Godfather III. Herzog has a collection of films which have given him a big name as an international director, however Grizzly Man (2005) was his last and one of his greatest Hollywood successes. The Cage-Herzog machine has great power to cross lines into new territory.
For some mysterious reason Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call-New Orleans was nominated for a few awards at various film festivals. Herzog creates a unique nightmare environment that gives the film a furious pace. The original Bad Lieutenant (Abel Ferrara-King of New York) was one of the first films to realistically depict a policeman (Harvey Keitel) as a drug addicted psychopath. Victor Argo wrote both Bad Lieutenant’s, but Ferrara has been busy finishing Jekyll and Hyde starring Forest Whitaker and 50 Cent.
The story is nearly the same as Bad Lieutenant minus nuns and New York, plus the New Orleans post Katrina environment. Cage has an excellent supporting cast with the exception for rapper Xzibit who needs to go return to MTV or 1996. Cage and his hot hooker girlfriend (Eva Mendes) have a hilarious drug addiction that creates some funny scenes. What is omnipresent in the movie is Cage’s extremely unbelievable character. Cage is regurgitating parts of characters he played in the past. His back injury combined with crack smoking makes Cage’s body look more awkward than his hair piece. The comedy this awful movie unnaturally displays is incredible. Ridiculous writing creates situations which are slapstick. Not since Cage starred in Wicker Man (2006) has a film made me believe that Hollywood had reached its rock bottom. A cool name like “Nicholas Cage” still holds weight from previous decades allowing him to find work in remakes like this. According to imdb.com Cage is already working on nearly ten films in 2010.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call-New Orleans is one of the greatest accidental comedies in Hollywood history. See this film if you enjoy watching something that is so terrible it crosses the line into comedy. Hollywood will be following the tradition of recent decades by reusing ideas and going green. Ghost Rider 2 starring Nicholas Cage should be finished by the end of the year.
1 out of 4
(Remember, It’s a comedy! - Review by Thomas Demerath)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Film Review -- Avatar (PG-13)
Released December 18, 2009
Well this is honestly a tough one to review. I will tell you outright my initial reaction to the film was negative. Not because I was not blown away by all three hours of the epic tale, but because there was just too much tail (and not the kind I like).
This remake of Disney film Pocahontas retold in a futuristic setting was a bit unsettling. In this version, just like John Smith coming to Pocahontas' side as the evil white man came to destroy the native peoples, Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) became an Avatar version of himself to save Neytiri and the Na'vi people on the moon Pandora. Yes, it is surely an updated version of the story, but once again it is just the lovely white man becoming a superstar in the native world and saving the poor innocent natives from the evil white-man-commeth. If you don't know the entire story of this film, exactly what will happen in the end and how it will happen in the first ten minutes of this film, you are not intelligent. Straight up.
Now the good - I saw this while it was still offered in 3-D and I was blown away by James Cameron's (Titanic, Terminator 2) ability to create this entire CGI world. Literally I cannot fathom how Cameron went through the process of making this film a reality. The graphics were truly jaw dropping and the CGI was fluid, seamless and honestly, perfect. I thought the 3D in this film was done very well as well. This was the first time a film was simply just OFFERED in 3D for your viewing pleasure. There was no moment when some object or person JUMPED out of the screen at you to scare you (moments like this are in countless Pixar films that are great when you see them in 3D and they make you jump but they seem pointless when you watch them at home on DVD with no 3D in sight).
Overall, this was one of the corniest/cheesiest films I've ever witnessed. The soundtrack alone made my sides split. BUT, when you compare it to a lot of other epic films coming out these days - it is on another level. The fact that NO - it is not a remake of a DC Comic, it is not a remake of something from 1970 and it is not a book released in the last 10 years - it is an original creation (albeit copycat of the "white man in America" story). An unreal feat by my Mr. Cameron.
3.3 out of 4
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
