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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of Smallville, Fringe, Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, Community, The Office, Parks And Recreation, 30 Rock and Batman: The Brave And The -- er, Joker: The Vile And The Villainous.
Batman: The Brave And The Bold "Joker: The Vile And The Villianous"
A LOT of fun but I'm having trouble placing this episode into continuity. Is this episode entirely a figment of Joker's imagination? I'm leaning towards yes considering the resolution of the teaser.
Loved the Joker getting his own theme song. I LOVE it when TV shows do that.
The Weeper was pretty lame, yet funny. Who was that bullet-headed hero he tangled with in the flashback?
Great episode. *****.
Smallville "Kent"
Good to see Jonathan again, even if it was an alternate version of him. Ultraman is also delightfully nasty and it was a shocker he killed the alternate universe's Oliver Queen. I also find his incestuous relationship with Tess VERY disturbing.
I liked this. ****.
Fringe "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide"
This was a genius way to bring Leonard Nimoy back while technically keeping his retirement from acting stance in tact. The cartoon stuff was wild and I loved Olivia's dream mind.
Also great was Broyles tripping balls with ominous overtones.
Olivia delivering her last line in a disturbingly matter-of-fact manner rivaled ANYTHING Lost has ever done in creepiness. Great episode. ****1/2.
Family Guy "Brothers And Sisters"
I really enjoyed this unpredictable episode but I want to compliment up front two genius things about it. 1. Peter actually wins Lois over with a logical argument for the first time ever. NEVER thought that would happen and yet it wasn't out of character at all. 2. That tropical fish joke was brilliant. I HATE getting inconvenient presents and this was basically taking the idea to the extreme. If I wanted a plant I would have bought one myself. ****1/2.
American Dad "Jenny Fromdabloc"
Hayley and Jeff were a blast this episode and Stan's Bewitched subplot was fun but I have to say Snot and Roger doing it is gross not because Roger is a guy, but because Snot is only fourteen. I found that extremely nasty. Good things? I loved the flashback of Steve and the guys in preschool. And is it just me or was this episode structured a lot like Family Guy? We had a couple of flashbacks/cutaways, a TV show clip, and talking inanimate objects. ****.
The Cleveland Show "Back To Cool"
Not perfect but I really enjoyed it anyways. I always love seeing Rallo and Roberta go at it (is it me or had Roberta really been absent for the last few episodes?) and by the time they got to the "Coolympics" with Snoop Dogg, Tony Hawk, and Billy Dee Williams I was laughing pretty hard (David Lynch as Gus rocks too!). But as usual the episode can't help but screwing things up at the very end. I HATED the last joke of Donna riding off with Lando Calrission. Seriously, are they TRYING to make me hate her? ***1/2.
Community "Competitive Wine Tasting"
Do you know what I liked about this episode? The fact that Pierce called out Jeff on his petty need to see Pierce unhappy. Seriously. That's always bugged me and before this it's been completely played for laughs. But one of the things I love about Jeff is that he is capable of learning from his mistakes and he did a good thing at the end.
Troy and Britta's plot was a bit disturbing (Britta is MESSED UP!) but Abed's Who's The Boss history class was awesome. I loved him teaching That Guy the meaning of the entire show. Funny.
Nice one. ****.
The Office "Training Day"
I liked this but I got a funny feeling about it. Will Ferrell SEEMS all right but I got the same knot in my stomach as when Charles Minor showed up. He has an unexpected cruel streak about him that makes you realize that's it's VERY possible Micheal is not th worst boss ever. Poor Andy. You have to feel SO sorry for that guy. "I guess this is my life now" was the saddest line on the show since Erin's "When I was in the orphanage my hair was my room".
Will Ferrell DID get some good stuff though. The absolute best line of the episode was the final one: "That baby should star in a movie called 'Babies I Don't Care About'". That was the funniest line on the show in ages and had me cracking up for ten minutes. ****.
Parks And Recreation "Fancy Party"
I'm glad April and Andy got married but I have the sinking feeling that the producers wouldn't have done it if they didn't plan on splitting them up soon. I was happy as a 'shipper but as a TV watcher I was sweating bullets.
I love Andy and April together and I don't want to see them break up. It's good that Ann's moving on though.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
30 Rock "I Heart Connecticut"
Good, not great. I was SO disappointed that the Pete story turned out to be a fantasy. The guy cannot catch a break. Jenna's movie was hilarious. The rest of the episode was only so-so. ***.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
A mixed bag but to be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting much. The REALLY awesome stuff in Deathly Hallows starts with the Gringotts robbery in the book and I knew going in this movie would end after Malfoy Manor. There were some pleasant surprises (they managed to pack in more information than I thought possible, and there were FINALLY first appearances in the movie for Bill Weasley, Rufus Scrimgeor and Mundungus Fletcher) and some not-so-pleasant ones (turning Harry/Ron/Hermione into a love triangle is something I'm not crazy about.)
Let's visit the latter idea first. I think the love triangle was a bad idea because Harry sees Hermione as a kind of sister in the books and NEVER expresses an iota of romantic interest in her. Ron's fears about her and him in Deathly Hallows were supposed to be groundless and I hate the idea that they took the most moving scene of the book (Harry at his parent's grave) and tried to make a romantic situation out of it.
On the other hand, Emma Watson has MUCH more tangible romantic chemistry with Daniel Radcliffe than she has with Rupert Grint, and has since the third movie, so I almost feel that unlike the books it needed to be addressed in some way. Still, I'm somewhat appalled that Ron's Horcrux nightmare involved Harry and Hermione writhing about in the nude. Sex should NEVER be a part of Harry Potter and I felt the producers were titilating the audience in a franchise that has always had a wholesome streak when it came to sex.
Dobby's death was the most moving scene in the movie which is good since they bungled the graveyard scene. It kind of ended the movie on a down note but it wasn't as abrupt an ending as it could have been had they ended it after either the trip to Godric's Hollow or The Silver Doe.
Good things about the movie? I'm delighted they got Bill Nighy to play Rufus Scrimgeor (he was a great choice) and a lot of the negative things about the book (his near-brawl with the trio as well as Harry's confrontation with Lupin) were dropped. That was a double edged sword however as there was no room for one of the most positive messages of the book: Kreacher's redemption. It almost didn't matter as much in the movies since Kreacher was only seen briefly in Order of the Phoenix but it was one of the most uplifting messages of the book. I'm also bummed they never got into Dumbledore's dabbling with dark magic and friendship with Grindelwald. However THAT slip-up can be rectified in the next film easily and I'm pretty sure they will when Aberforth comes into the picture.
The Tale Of The Three Brothers animated segment was pretty cool too.
I also loved how Harry taunted Dolores Umbridge before he attacked her to let her know it was him. Him stupifying her in the book was VERY unsatisfying because Umbridge never got any comeuppance in the book (which was one of the book's biggest flaws).
So, I liked the movie but didn't love it. It was a bit of a downer experience without any of the uplifting messages of the book. Most of that is because the postive stuff in the book mostly came near the end but it was also because the book itself was STILL pretty bleak. So I'll give it a somewhat postive grade but not a great one. ***1/2.
Additional Scenes:
Wow. Every single scene they cut was a good one. That's actually quite rare. ****1/2.
Sc. 15 - The Dursley House: This scene between Harry and Petunia is awesome because it's an emotional beat the books never bothered to address. Yes, Petunia didn't like Lily. But she was her sister and she DID love her. This should have been in the movie (not to mention the book). *****.
Sc. 16 - Dudley And Harry: Dudley and Harry's handshake was originally going to be in the movie! Man, they should NOT have cut this! Hilarious! *****.
Sc. 83 - Ministry Of Magic Lifts: They were also going to have the scene where Harry as Runcorn warns Arthur Weasley that he is being watched. It's a cool scene but I understand why they cut it: it wasn't really necessary. ****.
Sc. 89 - Tent: This scene wasn't great or anything but I DO think they shouldn't have cut it. It would have helped explained to the audience who HADN'T read the books exactly what a Horcrux was. ***1/2.
Sc. 108 - Montage - Ron And Hermione Skimming Stones: Only problem I could see with this shippage scene is that Rupert Grint and Emma Watson's chemistry feels a bit forced. But I can't imagine they cut it because of that. They probably cut it because it wasn't in the book. ***1/2.
Trailers:
Harry Potter Ultimate Editions Trailer: Mega-trailer for Harry Potter DVDs, Blu-Rays and Videogames. Sweet! *****.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 Videogame Trailer: This looks pretty awesome. ****1/2.
Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 Trailer 1: I love how cute these videogames look. *****.
Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 Trailer 2: The second trailer is for the iPhone and whatnot. ****.
Harry Potter Spells: I still don't know what this is for. **1/2.
DVD Menu: Pretty cool. ****1/2.
Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales
Cute cartoon shorts featuring the slightly lovable, slightly annoying, Mater from the movie Cars. These are all right but no great shakes. Every single short follows the same formula which is kind of cool and kind of predictable at the same time. Lightning McQueen has been recast for some reason. Huh.
Best cartoons are Mater as a Firetruck (Rescue Squad Mater), Mater and the UFO (Unidentified Flying Mater), and the colorful Tokyo Mater. Worst episode is easily Heavy Metal Mater which is painfully stupid. If Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command didn't exist I'd say it was the worst Pixar project of all time. As it stands, it's merely the worst CGI outing ever. Shorts overall: ***1/2.
Mater The Greater: Fun. Best part was Daredevil Mater driving over all of those cars. ***1/2.
Rescue Squad Mater: The scene of Lightning McQueen being rushed to the operating room reminded me of Roger Rabbit's Tummy Trouble. ****.
Monster Truck Mater: I like the Ice Screamer. ***1/2.
Unidentified Flying Mater: Best bit was Mater and the UFO tractor tipping causing crop circles. ****.
El Materdor: Passable. ***.
Moon Mater: The space shuttle was named Roger. Groan. ***1/2.
Heavy Metal Mater: Lame. **.
Mater Private Eye: The details in this film noir spoof are what I loved. For instance the Cabana lady had blinkers to simulate beauty marks. Pretty cool. ***1/2.
Tokyo Mater: The animation in this one was eye-popping. ****.
Studio Stories: McQueen Has No Hands: This was funny. ****1/2.
Paths To Pixar: Layout: My favorite story is the animator who worked his way up from janitor. ***1/2.
Mater Bumper-To-Bumper: In which I can never take anything John Lassetter ever says seriously again. Did he REALLY just call Larry The Cable Guy an "amazing actor"? Ugh. *1/2.
Cars Land Sneak Peek: Another theme park attraction commercial. I don't expect pop-up ads when I watch my DVDs. *.
Making Mater's Tall Tales: The producers have the annoying (but quite understandable) habit of thinking these shorts are a thosand times better than they actually are. ***.
Unmade Tales:
Whole deleted stories! Cool! Overall: ***1/2.
Unmade Tales Intro By Bob Gibbs: A fifteen second intro. **1/2.
Runway Mater: I understand why they didn't make this one. This was ludicrous even for this show's standards. **.
Stunt Mater: This was hilarious! They should have finished this! I LOVED the jab at computer animation at the end. *****.
Backwards To The Forwards: A passable Back To The Future parody that I would have liked to see completed because there were actual non-Car dinosaurs involved. The Cars' world evolution is fascinating to me and it would have been VERY interesting to have it posited that Car-Based lifeforms were NOT always the exclusive life on Cars Earth and that evolution took a VERY deliberate turn. Also, gotta love gags involving Chariots as Gladiators and Wheels as Cavemen. ****.
Car-Nival: All right. ***.
Import Mater: The early version of Tokyo Mater. The completed cartoon was better. ***.
Mater Private Eye's Secret Private Trailer: Cool. I wish they had included trailers for the other cartoons too. ****1/2.
Cars Toon Storyreels:
Animatic Episodes. Overall: ***1/2.
Mater The Greater: All right. ***1/2.
Unidentified Flying Mater: 'Kay. ***1/2.
Mater Private Eye: I like how the framing structure storyboards were in color and the rest was in black and white. ****.
Toy Story 3 Trailer: Genius. *****.
World Of Cars Online Trailer: This game looks like fun! ***1/2.
DVD Menu: Fine. ***1/2.
Batman: The Brave And The Bold "Joker: The Vile And The Villianous"
A LOT of fun but I'm having trouble placing this episode into continuity. Is this episode entirely a figment of Joker's imagination? I'm leaning towards yes considering the resolution of the teaser.
Loved the Joker getting his own theme song. I LOVE it when TV shows do that.
The Weeper was pretty lame, yet funny. Who was that bullet-headed hero he tangled with in the flashback?
Great episode. *****.
Smallville "Kent"
Good to see Jonathan again, even if it was an alternate version of him. Ultraman is also delightfully nasty and it was a shocker he killed the alternate universe's Oliver Queen. I also find his incestuous relationship with Tess VERY disturbing.
I liked this. ****.
Fringe "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide"
This was a genius way to bring Leonard Nimoy back while technically keeping his retirement from acting stance in tact. The cartoon stuff was wild and I loved Olivia's dream mind.
Also great was Broyles tripping balls with ominous overtones.
Olivia delivering her last line in a disturbingly matter-of-fact manner rivaled ANYTHING Lost has ever done in creepiness. Great episode. ****1/2.
Family Guy "Brothers And Sisters"
I really enjoyed this unpredictable episode but I want to compliment up front two genius things about it. 1. Peter actually wins Lois over with a logical argument for the first time ever. NEVER thought that would happen and yet it wasn't out of character at all. 2. That tropical fish joke was brilliant. I HATE getting inconvenient presents and this was basically taking the idea to the extreme. If I wanted a plant I would have bought one myself. ****1/2.
American Dad "Jenny Fromdabloc"
Hayley and Jeff were a blast this episode and Stan's Bewitched subplot was fun but I have to say Snot and Roger doing it is gross not because Roger is a guy, but because Snot is only fourteen. I found that extremely nasty. Good things? I loved the flashback of Steve and the guys in preschool. And is it just me or was this episode structured a lot like Family Guy? We had a couple of flashbacks/cutaways, a TV show clip, and talking inanimate objects. ****.
The Cleveland Show "Back To Cool"
Not perfect but I really enjoyed it anyways. I always love seeing Rallo and Roberta go at it (is it me or had Roberta really been absent for the last few episodes?) and by the time they got to the "Coolympics" with Snoop Dogg, Tony Hawk, and Billy Dee Williams I was laughing pretty hard (David Lynch as Gus rocks too!). But as usual the episode can't help but screwing things up at the very end. I HATED the last joke of Donna riding off with Lando Calrission. Seriously, are they TRYING to make me hate her? ***1/2.
Community "Competitive Wine Tasting"
Do you know what I liked about this episode? The fact that Pierce called out Jeff on his petty need to see Pierce unhappy. Seriously. That's always bugged me and before this it's been completely played for laughs. But one of the things I love about Jeff is that he is capable of learning from his mistakes and he did a good thing at the end.
Troy and Britta's plot was a bit disturbing (Britta is MESSED UP!) but Abed's Who's The Boss history class was awesome. I loved him teaching That Guy the meaning of the entire show. Funny.
Nice one. ****.
The Office "Training Day"
I liked this but I got a funny feeling about it. Will Ferrell SEEMS all right but I got the same knot in my stomach as when Charles Minor showed up. He has an unexpected cruel streak about him that makes you realize that's it's VERY possible Micheal is not th worst boss ever. Poor Andy. You have to feel SO sorry for that guy. "I guess this is my life now" was the saddest line on the show since Erin's "When I was in the orphanage my hair was my room".
Will Ferrell DID get some good stuff though. The absolute best line of the episode was the final one: "That baby should star in a movie called 'Babies I Don't Care About'". That was the funniest line on the show in ages and had me cracking up for ten minutes. ****.
Parks And Recreation "Fancy Party"
I'm glad April and Andy got married but I have the sinking feeling that the producers wouldn't have done it if they didn't plan on splitting them up soon. I was happy as a 'shipper but as a TV watcher I was sweating bullets.
I love Andy and April together and I don't want to see them break up. It's good that Ann's moving on though.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
30 Rock "I Heart Connecticut"
Good, not great. I was SO disappointed that the Pete story turned out to be a fantasy. The guy cannot catch a break. Jenna's movie was hilarious. The rest of the episode was only so-so. ***.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
A mixed bag but to be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting much. The REALLY awesome stuff in Deathly Hallows starts with the Gringotts robbery in the book and I knew going in this movie would end after Malfoy Manor. There were some pleasant surprises (they managed to pack in more information than I thought possible, and there were FINALLY first appearances in the movie for Bill Weasley, Rufus Scrimgeor and Mundungus Fletcher) and some not-so-pleasant ones (turning Harry/Ron/Hermione into a love triangle is something I'm not crazy about.)
Let's visit the latter idea first. I think the love triangle was a bad idea because Harry sees Hermione as a kind of sister in the books and NEVER expresses an iota of romantic interest in her. Ron's fears about her and him in Deathly Hallows were supposed to be groundless and I hate the idea that they took the most moving scene of the book (Harry at his parent's grave) and tried to make a romantic situation out of it.
On the other hand, Emma Watson has MUCH more tangible romantic chemistry with Daniel Radcliffe than she has with Rupert Grint, and has since the third movie, so I almost feel that unlike the books it needed to be addressed in some way. Still, I'm somewhat appalled that Ron's Horcrux nightmare involved Harry and Hermione writhing about in the nude. Sex should NEVER be a part of Harry Potter and I felt the producers were titilating the audience in a franchise that has always had a wholesome streak when it came to sex.
Dobby's death was the most moving scene in the movie which is good since they bungled the graveyard scene. It kind of ended the movie on a down note but it wasn't as abrupt an ending as it could have been had they ended it after either the trip to Godric's Hollow or The Silver Doe.
Good things about the movie? I'm delighted they got Bill Nighy to play Rufus Scrimgeor (he was a great choice) and a lot of the negative things about the book (his near-brawl with the trio as well as Harry's confrontation with Lupin) were dropped. That was a double edged sword however as there was no room for one of the most positive messages of the book: Kreacher's redemption. It almost didn't matter as much in the movies since Kreacher was only seen briefly in Order of the Phoenix but it was one of the most uplifting messages of the book. I'm also bummed they never got into Dumbledore's dabbling with dark magic and friendship with Grindelwald. However THAT slip-up can be rectified in the next film easily and I'm pretty sure they will when Aberforth comes into the picture.
The Tale Of The Three Brothers animated segment was pretty cool too.
I also loved how Harry taunted Dolores Umbridge before he attacked her to let her know it was him. Him stupifying her in the book was VERY unsatisfying because Umbridge never got any comeuppance in the book (which was one of the book's biggest flaws).
So, I liked the movie but didn't love it. It was a bit of a downer experience without any of the uplifting messages of the book. Most of that is because the postive stuff in the book mostly came near the end but it was also because the book itself was STILL pretty bleak. So I'll give it a somewhat postive grade but not a great one. ***1/2.
Additional Scenes:
Wow. Every single scene they cut was a good one. That's actually quite rare. ****1/2.
Sc. 15 - The Dursley House: This scene between Harry and Petunia is awesome because it's an emotional beat the books never bothered to address. Yes, Petunia didn't like Lily. But she was her sister and she DID love her. This should have been in the movie (not to mention the book). *****.
Sc. 16 - Dudley And Harry: Dudley and Harry's handshake was originally going to be in the movie! Man, they should NOT have cut this! Hilarious! *****.
Sc. 83 - Ministry Of Magic Lifts: They were also going to have the scene where Harry as Runcorn warns Arthur Weasley that he is being watched. It's a cool scene but I understand why they cut it: it wasn't really necessary. ****.
Sc. 89 - Tent: This scene wasn't great or anything but I DO think they shouldn't have cut it. It would have helped explained to the audience who HADN'T read the books exactly what a Horcrux was. ***1/2.
Sc. 108 - Montage - Ron And Hermione Skimming Stones: Only problem I could see with this shippage scene is that Rupert Grint and Emma Watson's chemistry feels a bit forced. But I can't imagine they cut it because of that. They probably cut it because it wasn't in the book. ***1/2.
Trailers:
Harry Potter Ultimate Editions Trailer: Mega-trailer for Harry Potter DVDs, Blu-Rays and Videogames. Sweet! *****.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 Videogame Trailer: This looks pretty awesome. ****1/2.
Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 Trailer 1: I love how cute these videogames look. *****.
Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 Trailer 2: The second trailer is for the iPhone and whatnot. ****.
Harry Potter Spells: I still don't know what this is for. **1/2.
DVD Menu: Pretty cool. ****1/2.
Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales
Cute cartoon shorts featuring the slightly lovable, slightly annoying, Mater from the movie Cars. These are all right but no great shakes. Every single short follows the same formula which is kind of cool and kind of predictable at the same time. Lightning McQueen has been recast for some reason. Huh.
Best cartoons are Mater as a Firetruck (Rescue Squad Mater), Mater and the UFO (Unidentified Flying Mater), and the colorful Tokyo Mater. Worst episode is easily Heavy Metal Mater which is painfully stupid. If Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command didn't exist I'd say it was the worst Pixar project of all time. As it stands, it's merely the worst CGI outing ever. Shorts overall: ***1/2.
Mater The Greater: Fun. Best part was Daredevil Mater driving over all of those cars. ***1/2.
Rescue Squad Mater: The scene of Lightning McQueen being rushed to the operating room reminded me of Roger Rabbit's Tummy Trouble. ****.
Monster Truck Mater: I like the Ice Screamer. ***1/2.
Unidentified Flying Mater: Best bit was Mater and the UFO tractor tipping causing crop circles. ****.
El Materdor: Passable. ***.
Moon Mater: The space shuttle was named Roger. Groan. ***1/2.
Heavy Metal Mater: Lame. **.
Mater Private Eye: The details in this film noir spoof are what I loved. For instance the Cabana lady had blinkers to simulate beauty marks. Pretty cool. ***1/2.
Tokyo Mater: The animation in this one was eye-popping. ****.
Studio Stories: McQueen Has No Hands: This was funny. ****1/2.
Paths To Pixar: Layout: My favorite story is the animator who worked his way up from janitor. ***1/2.
Mater Bumper-To-Bumper: In which I can never take anything John Lassetter ever says seriously again. Did he REALLY just call Larry The Cable Guy an "amazing actor"? Ugh. *1/2.
Cars Land Sneak Peek: Another theme park attraction commercial. I don't expect pop-up ads when I watch my DVDs. *.
Making Mater's Tall Tales: The producers have the annoying (but quite understandable) habit of thinking these shorts are a thosand times better than they actually are. ***.
Unmade Tales:
Whole deleted stories! Cool! Overall: ***1/2.
Unmade Tales Intro By Bob Gibbs: A fifteen second intro. **1/2.
Runway Mater: I understand why they didn't make this one. This was ludicrous even for this show's standards. **.
Stunt Mater: This was hilarious! They should have finished this! I LOVED the jab at computer animation at the end. *****.
Backwards To The Forwards: A passable Back To The Future parody that I would have liked to see completed because there were actual non-Car dinosaurs involved. The Cars' world evolution is fascinating to me and it would have been VERY interesting to have it posited that Car-Based lifeforms were NOT always the exclusive life on Cars Earth and that evolution took a VERY deliberate turn. Also, gotta love gags involving Chariots as Gladiators and Wheels as Cavemen. ****.
Car-Nival: All right. ***.
Import Mater: The early version of Tokyo Mater. The completed cartoon was better. ***.
Mater Private Eye's Secret Private Trailer: Cool. I wish they had included trailers for the other cartoons too. ****1/2.
Cars Toon Storyreels:
Animatic Episodes. Overall: ***1/2.
Mater The Greater: All right. ***1/2.
Unidentified Flying Mater: 'Kay. ***1/2.
Mater Private Eye: I like how the framing structure storyboards were in color and the rest was in black and white. ****.
Toy Story 3 Trailer: Genius. *****.
World Of Cars Online Trailer: This game looks like fun! ***1/2.
DVD Menu: Fine. ***1/2.
