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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of Doctor Who, The Looney Tunes Show, MAD, The Office, Parks And Recreation, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show and the season finales of Fringe, Community and 30 Rock as well as the movies TRON and TRON: Legacy.
Spoilers ahoy! The ones for Smallville and Fringe are major.
Smallville "Finale"
I really liked this but I wish they had done SOME things differently. They shouldn't have waited until the last ten minutes for Clark to put on the suit and they should have had him choose the name Superman on-screen. However there was MUCH to enjoy here and overall I was pleased.
Great to see Chloe again and the framing structure of the story was great because that meant I didn't have to worry about her dying. Tess' death however was a bummer but I like that her sacrifice actually MEANT something to the mythos, i.e. wiping Lex's memory.
I liked Lex's return but like the suit, they should have done it earlier in the episode. I really like how they killed Lionel and managed to tie up the Darkseid plot. It might have seemed a bit of an abrupt ending for fans of the series unfamiliar with other DC projects but everyone knows that even if you DO defeat Darkseid he never really goes away.
The last shot of the series was great. I wasn't crazy about identical kid-brother Jimmy Olsen but the earlier seasons of the show are what painted the finale into that corner so I can't complain too much.
I wish we had seen more of the League but the episode was overstuffed already.
I think they might have tried to have packed too much stuff into the last two hours but to be fair, they had to use the rest of the season to tie up everything else. This was a pretty satisfying ending, at least until you realize what a bummer it is that Tom Welling, Erica Durance and Micheal Rosenbaum won't be playing Clark, Lois and Lex in the next movie. ****1/2.
Doctor Who "The Curse Of The Black Spot"
They did it again. How dumb am I? I was actually on pins and needles during Rory's resurrection scene. This is the ONLY family show I know that can actually convince me characters are going to die on a regular basis. Fun stuff.
Loved the Pirate story. After the Disney Pirates movies it's about time a genre show tackled the fad and it did it quite nicely here. I kind of figured out that the ship was a hospital but it was still a nice twist.
Any beefs? Yes, I cannot figure out where they are going with the "Is She - Isn't She?" pregnancy issue for Amy. They're acting like a pregnancy would be the end of the world and I frankly have no idea why I should feel that way. What up with that?
Good episode otherwise. ****.
The Looney Toons Show "Best Buddies"
I find this new show quite interesting because it seems they are using sitcom premises rather than cartoon stuff. It makes for some interesting character moments but the Seinfeldian dialogue takes some getting used to. It's still pretty funny though. I love how clueless Daffy is on this series. He was kind of portrayed as a jerk on Duck Dodgers and while that was kind of always true of the character here they seem to be attempting to give him more layers. Interesting. ****1/2.
"Merrie Melodies: Grilled Cheese"
This Elmer Fudd music video was awful. **.
Episode Overall: ****.
The Looney Tunes Show "Members Only"
I like how the writers decided to make Lola as annoying as she has always previously grabbed the audience. She was kind of forced on Looney Tunes fans in Space Jam and Baby Looney Tunes so I like how the writers made her annoying on purpose which strangely only makes her lovable for the first time ever. Kristen Wiig was a great casting choice for her. Speaking of great casting choices: The Little Mermaid's Rene Auberjonois as Pepe Le Pew? Genius.
Cool episode. ****.
Merrie Melodies: I'm A Martian: This was a better music video. ***1/2.
Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote "Bubble Trouble": Funny but not all that memorable. ***.
Episode Overall: ****.
Community "A Fist Full Of Paintballs"
Excellent first part. Josh Holloway was a blast as the mysterious stranger and I loved the cliffhanger. Any complaints? Yes. Chang was shown as the paintball master in the previous paintball year and he got taken out way too easily here. However that was possibly only to show how big a threat the big bads were for next episode. ****1/2.
Community "For A Few More Paintballs"
For the record, I am NOT a Abed/Annie shipper but a JEFF/Annie Shipper. Still funny to see her and Abed's passionate kiss especially since Abed was merely playing a role and Annie was legitimately falling for the guy.
I liked Troy taking over the group and Jeff being SO passionate about the game until he was out and then instantly couldn't care less.
I'm a little unnerved of the ending of Pierce leaving the group but I guess it wouldn't be a season ender without SOME unresolved stuff. Great episode and puts last year's finale to shame. *****.
Parks And Recreation "Eagleton"
Andy clobbering Tom with the garbage bag instantly made this a classic. Sorry, that's a fact. Also loved Tom angrily offering his resume to Lindsay. Funny stuff. Best bit? Chris kissing Ron full on the mouth to wish him a happy birthday. Nick Offerman's reaction was priceless. ****.
Parks And Recreation "The Fight"
Loved Leslie getting into a fight with Ann over "The Douche". You're dating a guy named "The Douche"? And you have NO problems with that? Seriously, Ann?
Andy and April's subplot was fun too. Andy will literally do ANYTHING for April including cheering her up while he has a massive hangover. Speaking of hangovers I loved that Ron was the only person who didn't have one and went right back to eating beef. Nice. ****.
Parks And Recreation "Road Trip"
I awesomesauced this episode. Why? Because as funny as it was to see Ron Swanson poison that young girl's mind it was doubly awesome that her mother chastised him for filling her daughter's head with "weird ideas". It was SO great because as funny as watching Ron teach that girl stupidity and give her a landmine, in real life that wouldn't be funny as all and the series acknowledged that fact. Other people's children shouldn't be considered playthings.
I equally loved Andy and April mess because it was ANDY who was upset at April for the first time and April had no idea how to deal with it. I think that was probably because Andy was unable to articulate it and it was obvious how much he was hurting. Great stuff.
I'm warming on Leslie and Ben. Let's see what happens next week.
Great episode. *****.
The Office "The Inner Circle"
This was, no-joke, an utter disaster. Oh, my God, this episode sucked SO MUCH! Aside from the fact that we've NEVER been given a straight story on the sadistic Deangelo his departure was completely abrupt and made no sense. I almost decided to stop watching the show after this episode which is a shame because the next episode was MUCH better. 0.
The Office "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager"
This wasn't perfect but it was a definite relief from last week's fiasco. I hope the series stops trying to focus on stunt casting and gets back to the core characters like this episode did. But next week's promo doesn't give me much hope.
I HATE Jo but I loved the fact that she is yes, a responsible boss. She didn't WANT to give Dwight the boot but she had to.
Bad things? Gabe is REALLY starting to creep me out. Funniest (and most disturbing line) of the night was easily Erin cheerfully telling the cameras what a great guy Gabe was except for the fact that she didn't like having to let him touch her. Erin is the absolute BEST when it comes to cluelessly brutal honesty. ****.
30 Rock "Respawn"
Lame. This show is really starting to depress me. They've turned Jack into a joke and Jenna into a psychopath. Seriously, I KNOW Jenna is SUPPOSED to be loathesome but I've seen serial killers on Law And Order: SVU with better grips on reality. It's hard to take her seriously as a friend for Liz when she is written so crazy.
ANY good things? I can't fault ANY series that casts Victor Garber even if the role was wafer-thin. But with Jenna's disgustingness and Jack's creepy dinners with Kenneth this was the worst season finale the show has ever had. Even the Lost reference at the end couldn't save it. *1/2.
MAD "KoBee Movie / Law And Ogre"
They should have done a better job with the Law And Order parody. This show's biggest weakness is how they always feel the need to mix up spoofs with each other. As long as they do that the show will NEVER be as good as the magazine. **1/2.
Fringe "The Day We Died"
Excellent season finale. They let you think they were killing off Olivia and then BAM! Peter is erased from existance!
I think this episode definitively states that Walternate is irredeemably evil. I will never again feel the slightest bit of compassion for him.
I like what the series did with the flashforward. It distinguished itself from Dollhouse which is a MAJOR worry I had last week. Good for them.
Excellent finale. *****.
The Simpsons "Homer Scissorhands"
I love it whenever the series give Homer unguessed at talents that procede to give him headaches. It reminds me of Carl Barks' Donald Duck "Mastery" stories. The Milhouse/Lisa subplot was interesting too. Are they dating now? Because I am personally a Lisa/Nelson shipper. ****.
Family Guy "The Big Bang Theory"
I was enjoying this episode until Bertram showed up. I'm glad they killed him off. His plot to wipe out Stewie from existance was a DUMB one because they are brothers. Unless he is absolutely sure Leonardo Da Vinci was from Lois' side of the family that was the stupidest move ever.
I liked the episode until Bertram ruined it. I'm glad he's dead. ***.
American Dad "Home Wrecker"
Decent but not perfect. About the best thing I can say for it is that Greg and Terry had such a large role. And a funny one at that. ***.
The Cleveland Show "Your Show Of Shows"
Am I the only one who LOVED Murray's first rap? Honestly, if they played that on the radio I think it would be a huge hit. LOVED his second one too but for different reasons. THAT'S how you cancel a show! Heh. ****.
Bob's Burgers "Weekend At Mort's"
Funny stuff. Although to be honestly, they made the kids into a WEE bit too big of monsters. In real life almost killing your father would be devastating. Still, it was funny. ***1/2.
TRON
I cannot get over how amazing the visual effects of a movie from the early eighties look here. Astounding. This movie must have cost a mint to make. Even movies nowadays don't usually have every single shot seem like an expensive effect. Amazing.
The movie's plot? No so much. I was having a hard time following the story. I'm a bit computer illiterate so you'd figure a movie that started before computers became big would have tried spelling them out clearly to the audience. You would be wrong.
Heh. I love that South Park's Moses was based on the MCP in this film.
It's surprising how little the movie feels dated despite the computer stuff seeming primitive. It feels like a MUCH more recent movie than it actually is. Star Wars was the same way.
Pretty cool movie that I would recommend. Just don't count on comprehending the plot. ***1/2.
The TRON Phenomenon: Great documentary about the movie. Perfect. *****.
Development:
Vintage Inteview segments, as well as test animation and footage. Overall: ****1/2.
Early Development Of TRON: Archival interview with Steven Lisberger and Donald Kushner. ***1/2.
Early Lisberger's Studios Animation: Funky. ****.
"Computers Are People Too": I cannot believe how they searched high and low for old promotional stuff from this movie. ****1/2.
Early Video Tests: These are awesome. ****1/2.
Digital Imagery:
Featurettes about the animation and visual effects. Overall: ****.
Backlight Animation: Interesting. ****.
Digital Imagery In TRON: Amazing how much mathematics was involved in the computer images. ****.
"Beyond TRON": Thoughts: They should have included the entire special. The idea that the genesis for computer animation tests came from a nuclear disaster is unsettling. Those early computer demos are awesome. They even predate Pixar! ****.
Role Of Triple I: Brief interview. **1/2.
Triple I Demo: As I said, it's amazing these were done before Pixar. ****1/2.
Music:
Alternate tracks from the film's composer. Both: ****.
Lightcycle Scene With Alternate Carlos Music Tracks: I prefer the music in the movie. ***1/2.
End Credits With Original Carlos Music: This was neat however. ****.
Making Of TRON: Interesting 90 minute featurette. I like how John Lassetter said how much the film inspired him as well as the filmmakers describing all of the headaches involved in making the movie. ****.
Publicity:
Trailers. Overall: ***1/2.
NATO: Incomprehensible. I'm surprised theater owners' heads didn't explode. **1/2.
Work In Progress: I've never seen a "Work-In-Progress" Trailer before! Cool! ****.
Trailer #1: Surprisingly good for the time it was made. ****.
Trailer #2: Not as good as the first trailer. ***1/2.
Trailer #3: I am SO disappointed that they put in all of that effort to beautifully digitally remaster the film but left the trailers in such terrible shape. ***.
Trailer #4: Good. ****.
Deleted Scenes:
The first one is a doozy. Overall: ****1/2.
Introduction by Writer-Director Steven Lisberger: Explaining why he cut the love scene and how he later regretted it. ***1/2.
TRON And Yori's Love Scene: Can't believe they cut this. This was beautiful and awesome. And yes, surprisingly sexy. *****.
TRON And Yori's Love Scene #2: No sound on this one. ***1/2.
Alternate Opening Prologue: Honestly? This doesn't make the movie sound any more easy for computer newbies to comprehend. A wise cut. ***1/2.
Design:
Interviews and early animation for the Lightcycles and the arcade version of the Recognizer. Overall: ***1/2.
Introduction by Writer-Director Steven Lisberger: I never thought of how super realistic technology could potentially limit an artist creatively but Lisberger's right. ****1/2.
Vehicles:
Lightcycles:
Discussions of the Lightcycle designs and some animation tests. Both: ***1/2.
Syd Mead Discusses Lightcycle Design: About how the lightcycles were originally going to look. ***1/2.
MAGI Animation Test: Spiffy. ***1/2.
Recognizer:
The animation for the arcade game. Nice to include both versions. Both: ***1/2.
Space Paranoids Video Game- Letterbox: 'Kay. ***1/2.
Space Paranoids Video Game- Full Screen: Fills up the TV better. ***1/2.
Storyboarding:
About Storyboarding. Duh. Overall: ****.
The Storyboarding Process: Interesting stuff. ****.
Creation Of TRON Main Title-Moebius Storyboards: Neat. ****.
Storyboard-To-Film Comparison:
What is says. Cool special feature. ****1/2.
Introduction By Storyboard Artist/ Animator Bill Kroyer: Cool. ***1/2.
Lightcycle Chase Storyboards Only: Heh. The animators outdid the storyboarders! ****1/2.
Lightcycle Chase Final Film: I love this sequence. *****.
Galleries:
Early Concept Art And Background Art: I love the colors here. *****.
Publicity:
Publicity Galleries. Both: ****1/2.
Production Photos: Appropriately, all of the photos are in black and white. ****.
Publicity And Merchandise: I love those TRON toys. *****.
Design:
Design Galleries. Overall: ***1/2.
The Programs:
Character Designs. Overall: ***1/2.
Flynn: This went though a TON of changes. Some of the early designs look horrible. ***1/2.
Yori: Kind of sexy. ***1/2.
Sark: Kind of scary. ***1/2.
The Bit: I hate the cartoony version of The Bit. WAAAYYY too Disney. **1/2.
Guard: Bad Mofo. ***1/2.
Tron: Tron's design was better than Flynn's from the start, even if they wound up looking almost exactly alike. ***1/2.
Dumont: Creepy. ***1/2.
MCP: Moses! ***1/2.
Video Warrior: Weird. ***1/2.
Miscellaneous: Wild. ****.
Lightcycle Designs: Nifty! ***1/2.
Recognizer Designs: Spooky. ***1/2.
Tank: Kind of funky. ****.
Sark's Carrier: This thing is massive! ***1/2.
Solar Sailer: This reminds me of the Bajoran Solar Sailcraft from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I wonder if they got the idea from TRON. ****.
The Electric World:
Design Stills. Overall: ***1/2.
Dillinger's Office And Flynn's Arcade: Just four pictures. ***.
The Game Grid: Cool. ***1/2.
Power Cave: Nice. ***1/2.
The Electronic World: Beautiful. ****.
I/O Tower Models: All right. ***1/2.
Yori's Apartment Triple I Models: From the deleted scene. Gorgeous. ****1/2.
Triple I Models: A storyboard and some digital stills. ***1/2.
Storyboarding:
Storyboard Galleries. Overall: ***1/2.
Moebius Misc. Storyboarding Artwork: Storyboard from some of the action sequences. Very cartoony. ***1/2.
Early Storyboard Artwork: I like the designs of the early lightcycles. But that would have been impossible to pull off at the time. ****.
TRON: Legacy Trailer: Looks good. Although the special effects aren't quite as special looking. ****.
TRON: Evolution Trailer: Huh. A GOOD TRON videogame. Atari must be ticked. *****.
Disc 1 DVD Menu: Spiffy. Only drawback is that it automatically plays the movie after going through the rotations twice. ****1/2.
Disc 2 DVD Menu: Panoramic view of the World Of TRON. *****.
TRON: Legacy
I would have given this five stars if it weren't for the lukewarm ending. Those two major character deaths were unnecessary (well, it could be argued ONE was necessary) and kind of bummed me out. I really hope there is a sequel and both deaths are retconned. It was NOT a smart idea.
Surprisingly the movie did everything else right. Yeah, the special effects are WAAAAYYY too updated to actually BE special anymore but the sequel was FAR more accessible than the first one, (which was practically incomprehensible), AND managed to pay excellent tribute to the original, with a tapestry of continuity and fanservice. Honestly, the movie hewed SO closely to the canon it almost felt like the movie was made two years later rather than three decades. The writers obviously loved the original movie and it showed.
Olivia Wilde was hot and it was great to see Bruce Boxlietner again. And Jeff Bridges makes a good hero AND villain. Especially since CLU was a good guy in the original TRON. Nice touch.
I would have liked to have seen Cindy Morgan again and I wonder what happened to Dillinger Sr. I think the movie kept so much stuff up in the air to leave the franchise's options open. I'll bet they didn't want to paint themselves into a corner.
So, this was pretty much a great movie until the last fifteen minutes which turned it into merely a good one. Recommended. ****.
First Look At TRON: Uprising, The Disney XD Animated Series: I want to see this show now. *****.
Visualizing TRON: Featurette about the updated special effects. ****1/2.
Installing The Cast: Best bit was about Micheal Sheen's casting process. Guy's a huge TRON nerd. ****1/2.
DVD Menu: Nice, but it felt more like a regular movie menu rather than as specific to TRON as the original special edition menus were. That's probably because the visual effects in the sequel looked contemporary while the original's were mindblowingly ahead of their time. ****.
Spoilers ahoy! The ones for Smallville and Fringe are major.
Smallville "Finale"
I really liked this but I wish they had done SOME things differently. They shouldn't have waited until the last ten minutes for Clark to put on the suit and they should have had him choose the name Superman on-screen. However there was MUCH to enjoy here and overall I was pleased.
Great to see Chloe again and the framing structure of the story was great because that meant I didn't have to worry about her dying. Tess' death however was a bummer but I like that her sacrifice actually MEANT something to the mythos, i.e. wiping Lex's memory.
I liked Lex's return but like the suit, they should have done it earlier in the episode. I really like how they killed Lionel and managed to tie up the Darkseid plot. It might have seemed a bit of an abrupt ending for fans of the series unfamiliar with other DC projects but everyone knows that even if you DO defeat Darkseid he never really goes away.
The last shot of the series was great. I wasn't crazy about identical kid-brother Jimmy Olsen but the earlier seasons of the show are what painted the finale into that corner so I can't complain too much.
I wish we had seen more of the League but the episode was overstuffed already.
I think they might have tried to have packed too much stuff into the last two hours but to be fair, they had to use the rest of the season to tie up everything else. This was a pretty satisfying ending, at least until you realize what a bummer it is that Tom Welling, Erica Durance and Micheal Rosenbaum won't be playing Clark, Lois and Lex in the next movie. ****1/2.
Doctor Who "The Curse Of The Black Spot"
They did it again. How dumb am I? I was actually on pins and needles during Rory's resurrection scene. This is the ONLY family show I know that can actually convince me characters are going to die on a regular basis. Fun stuff.
Loved the Pirate story. After the Disney Pirates movies it's about time a genre show tackled the fad and it did it quite nicely here. I kind of figured out that the ship was a hospital but it was still a nice twist.
Any beefs? Yes, I cannot figure out where they are going with the "Is She - Isn't She?" pregnancy issue for Amy. They're acting like a pregnancy would be the end of the world and I frankly have no idea why I should feel that way. What up with that?
Good episode otherwise. ****.
The Looney Toons Show "Best Buddies"
I find this new show quite interesting because it seems they are using sitcom premises rather than cartoon stuff. It makes for some interesting character moments but the Seinfeldian dialogue takes some getting used to. It's still pretty funny though. I love how clueless Daffy is on this series. He was kind of portrayed as a jerk on Duck Dodgers and while that was kind of always true of the character here they seem to be attempting to give him more layers. Interesting. ****1/2.
"Merrie Melodies: Grilled Cheese"
This Elmer Fudd music video was awful. **.
Episode Overall: ****.
The Looney Tunes Show "Members Only"
I like how the writers decided to make Lola as annoying as she has always previously grabbed the audience. She was kind of forced on Looney Tunes fans in Space Jam and Baby Looney Tunes so I like how the writers made her annoying on purpose which strangely only makes her lovable for the first time ever. Kristen Wiig was a great casting choice for her. Speaking of great casting choices: The Little Mermaid's Rene Auberjonois as Pepe Le Pew? Genius.
Cool episode. ****.
Merrie Melodies: I'm A Martian: This was a better music video. ***1/2.
Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote "Bubble Trouble": Funny but not all that memorable. ***.
Episode Overall: ****.
Community "A Fist Full Of Paintballs"
Excellent first part. Josh Holloway was a blast as the mysterious stranger and I loved the cliffhanger. Any complaints? Yes. Chang was shown as the paintball master in the previous paintball year and he got taken out way too easily here. However that was possibly only to show how big a threat the big bads were for next episode. ****1/2.
Community "For A Few More Paintballs"
For the record, I am NOT a Abed/Annie shipper but a JEFF/Annie Shipper. Still funny to see her and Abed's passionate kiss especially since Abed was merely playing a role and Annie was legitimately falling for the guy.
I liked Troy taking over the group and Jeff being SO passionate about the game until he was out and then instantly couldn't care less.
I'm a little unnerved of the ending of Pierce leaving the group but I guess it wouldn't be a season ender without SOME unresolved stuff. Great episode and puts last year's finale to shame. *****.
Parks And Recreation "Eagleton"
Andy clobbering Tom with the garbage bag instantly made this a classic. Sorry, that's a fact. Also loved Tom angrily offering his resume to Lindsay. Funny stuff. Best bit? Chris kissing Ron full on the mouth to wish him a happy birthday. Nick Offerman's reaction was priceless. ****.
Parks And Recreation "The Fight"
Loved Leslie getting into a fight with Ann over "The Douche". You're dating a guy named "The Douche"? And you have NO problems with that? Seriously, Ann?
Andy and April's subplot was fun too. Andy will literally do ANYTHING for April including cheering her up while he has a massive hangover. Speaking of hangovers I loved that Ron was the only person who didn't have one and went right back to eating beef. Nice. ****.
Parks And Recreation "Road Trip"
I awesomesauced this episode. Why? Because as funny as it was to see Ron Swanson poison that young girl's mind it was doubly awesome that her mother chastised him for filling her daughter's head with "weird ideas". It was SO great because as funny as watching Ron teach that girl stupidity and give her a landmine, in real life that wouldn't be funny as all and the series acknowledged that fact. Other people's children shouldn't be considered playthings.
I equally loved Andy and April mess because it was ANDY who was upset at April for the first time and April had no idea how to deal with it. I think that was probably because Andy was unable to articulate it and it was obvious how much he was hurting. Great stuff.
I'm warming on Leslie and Ben. Let's see what happens next week.
Great episode. *****.
The Office "The Inner Circle"
This was, no-joke, an utter disaster. Oh, my God, this episode sucked SO MUCH! Aside from the fact that we've NEVER been given a straight story on the sadistic Deangelo his departure was completely abrupt and made no sense. I almost decided to stop watching the show after this episode which is a shame because the next episode was MUCH better. 0.
The Office "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager"
This wasn't perfect but it was a definite relief from last week's fiasco. I hope the series stops trying to focus on stunt casting and gets back to the core characters like this episode did. But next week's promo doesn't give me much hope.
I HATE Jo but I loved the fact that she is yes, a responsible boss. She didn't WANT to give Dwight the boot but she had to.
Bad things? Gabe is REALLY starting to creep me out. Funniest (and most disturbing line) of the night was easily Erin cheerfully telling the cameras what a great guy Gabe was except for the fact that she didn't like having to let him touch her. Erin is the absolute BEST when it comes to cluelessly brutal honesty. ****.
30 Rock "Respawn"
Lame. This show is really starting to depress me. They've turned Jack into a joke and Jenna into a psychopath. Seriously, I KNOW Jenna is SUPPOSED to be loathesome but I've seen serial killers on Law And Order: SVU with better grips on reality. It's hard to take her seriously as a friend for Liz when she is written so crazy.
ANY good things? I can't fault ANY series that casts Victor Garber even if the role was wafer-thin. But with Jenna's disgustingness and Jack's creepy dinners with Kenneth this was the worst season finale the show has ever had. Even the Lost reference at the end couldn't save it. *1/2.
MAD "KoBee Movie / Law And Ogre"
They should have done a better job with the Law And Order parody. This show's biggest weakness is how they always feel the need to mix up spoofs with each other. As long as they do that the show will NEVER be as good as the magazine. **1/2.
Fringe "The Day We Died"
Excellent season finale. They let you think they were killing off Olivia and then BAM! Peter is erased from existance!
I think this episode definitively states that Walternate is irredeemably evil. I will never again feel the slightest bit of compassion for him.
I like what the series did with the flashforward. It distinguished itself from Dollhouse which is a MAJOR worry I had last week. Good for them.
Excellent finale. *****.
The Simpsons "Homer Scissorhands"
I love it whenever the series give Homer unguessed at talents that procede to give him headaches. It reminds me of Carl Barks' Donald Duck "Mastery" stories. The Milhouse/Lisa subplot was interesting too. Are they dating now? Because I am personally a Lisa/Nelson shipper. ****.
Family Guy "The Big Bang Theory"
I was enjoying this episode until Bertram showed up. I'm glad they killed him off. His plot to wipe out Stewie from existance was a DUMB one because they are brothers. Unless he is absolutely sure Leonardo Da Vinci was from Lois' side of the family that was the stupidest move ever.
I liked the episode until Bertram ruined it. I'm glad he's dead. ***.
American Dad "Home Wrecker"
Decent but not perfect. About the best thing I can say for it is that Greg and Terry had such a large role. And a funny one at that. ***.
The Cleveland Show "Your Show Of Shows"
Am I the only one who LOVED Murray's first rap? Honestly, if they played that on the radio I think it would be a huge hit. LOVED his second one too but for different reasons. THAT'S how you cancel a show! Heh. ****.
Bob's Burgers "Weekend At Mort's"
Funny stuff. Although to be honestly, they made the kids into a WEE bit too big of monsters. In real life almost killing your father would be devastating. Still, it was funny. ***1/2.
TRON
I cannot get over how amazing the visual effects of a movie from the early eighties look here. Astounding. This movie must have cost a mint to make. Even movies nowadays don't usually have every single shot seem like an expensive effect. Amazing.
The movie's plot? No so much. I was having a hard time following the story. I'm a bit computer illiterate so you'd figure a movie that started before computers became big would have tried spelling them out clearly to the audience. You would be wrong.
Heh. I love that South Park's Moses was based on the MCP in this film.
It's surprising how little the movie feels dated despite the computer stuff seeming primitive. It feels like a MUCH more recent movie than it actually is. Star Wars was the same way.
Pretty cool movie that I would recommend. Just don't count on comprehending the plot. ***1/2.
The TRON Phenomenon: Great documentary about the movie. Perfect. *****.
Development:
Vintage Inteview segments, as well as test animation and footage. Overall: ****1/2.
Early Development Of TRON: Archival interview with Steven Lisberger and Donald Kushner. ***1/2.
Early Lisberger's Studios Animation: Funky. ****.
"Computers Are People Too": I cannot believe how they searched high and low for old promotional stuff from this movie. ****1/2.
Early Video Tests: These are awesome. ****1/2.
Digital Imagery:
Featurettes about the animation and visual effects. Overall: ****.
Backlight Animation: Interesting. ****.
Digital Imagery In TRON: Amazing how much mathematics was involved in the computer images. ****.
"Beyond TRON": Thoughts: They should have included the entire special. The idea that the genesis for computer animation tests came from a nuclear disaster is unsettling. Those early computer demos are awesome. They even predate Pixar! ****.
Role Of Triple I: Brief interview. **1/2.
Triple I Demo: As I said, it's amazing these were done before Pixar. ****1/2.
Music:
Alternate tracks from the film's composer. Both: ****.
Lightcycle Scene With Alternate Carlos Music Tracks: I prefer the music in the movie. ***1/2.
End Credits With Original Carlos Music: This was neat however. ****.
Making Of TRON: Interesting 90 minute featurette. I like how John Lassetter said how much the film inspired him as well as the filmmakers describing all of the headaches involved in making the movie. ****.
Publicity:
Trailers. Overall: ***1/2.
NATO: Incomprehensible. I'm surprised theater owners' heads didn't explode. **1/2.
Work In Progress: I've never seen a "Work-In-Progress" Trailer before! Cool! ****.
Trailer #1: Surprisingly good for the time it was made. ****.
Trailer #2: Not as good as the first trailer. ***1/2.
Trailer #3: I am SO disappointed that they put in all of that effort to beautifully digitally remaster the film but left the trailers in such terrible shape. ***.
Trailer #4: Good. ****.
Deleted Scenes:
The first one is a doozy. Overall: ****1/2.
Introduction by Writer-Director Steven Lisberger: Explaining why he cut the love scene and how he later regretted it. ***1/2.
TRON And Yori's Love Scene: Can't believe they cut this. This was beautiful and awesome. And yes, surprisingly sexy. *****.
TRON And Yori's Love Scene #2: No sound on this one. ***1/2.
Alternate Opening Prologue: Honestly? This doesn't make the movie sound any more easy for computer newbies to comprehend. A wise cut. ***1/2.
Design:
Interviews and early animation for the Lightcycles and the arcade version of the Recognizer. Overall: ***1/2.
Introduction by Writer-Director Steven Lisberger: I never thought of how super realistic technology could potentially limit an artist creatively but Lisberger's right. ****1/2.
Vehicles:
Lightcycles:
Discussions of the Lightcycle designs and some animation tests. Both: ***1/2.
Syd Mead Discusses Lightcycle Design: About how the lightcycles were originally going to look. ***1/2.
MAGI Animation Test: Spiffy. ***1/2.
Recognizer:
The animation for the arcade game. Nice to include both versions. Both: ***1/2.
Space Paranoids Video Game- Letterbox: 'Kay. ***1/2.
Space Paranoids Video Game- Full Screen: Fills up the TV better. ***1/2.
Storyboarding:
About Storyboarding. Duh. Overall: ****.
The Storyboarding Process: Interesting stuff. ****.
Creation Of TRON Main Title-Moebius Storyboards: Neat. ****.
Storyboard-To-Film Comparison:
What is says. Cool special feature. ****1/2.
Introduction By Storyboard Artist/ Animator Bill Kroyer: Cool. ***1/2.
Lightcycle Chase Storyboards Only: Heh. The animators outdid the storyboarders! ****1/2.
Lightcycle Chase Final Film: I love this sequence. *****.
Galleries:
Early Concept Art And Background Art: I love the colors here. *****.
Publicity:
Publicity Galleries. Both: ****1/2.
Production Photos: Appropriately, all of the photos are in black and white. ****.
Publicity And Merchandise: I love those TRON toys. *****.
Design:
Design Galleries. Overall: ***1/2.
The Programs:
Character Designs. Overall: ***1/2.
Flynn: This went though a TON of changes. Some of the early designs look horrible. ***1/2.
Yori: Kind of sexy. ***1/2.
Sark: Kind of scary. ***1/2.
The Bit: I hate the cartoony version of The Bit. WAAAYYY too Disney. **1/2.
Guard: Bad Mofo. ***1/2.
Tron: Tron's design was better than Flynn's from the start, even if they wound up looking almost exactly alike. ***1/2.
Dumont: Creepy. ***1/2.
MCP: Moses! ***1/2.
Video Warrior: Weird. ***1/2.
Miscellaneous: Wild. ****.
Lightcycle Designs: Nifty! ***1/2.
Recognizer Designs: Spooky. ***1/2.
Tank: Kind of funky. ****.
Sark's Carrier: This thing is massive! ***1/2.
Solar Sailer: This reminds me of the Bajoran Solar Sailcraft from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I wonder if they got the idea from TRON. ****.
The Electric World:
Design Stills. Overall: ***1/2.
Dillinger's Office And Flynn's Arcade: Just four pictures. ***.
The Game Grid: Cool. ***1/2.
Power Cave: Nice. ***1/2.
The Electronic World: Beautiful. ****.
I/O Tower Models: All right. ***1/2.
Yori's Apartment Triple I Models: From the deleted scene. Gorgeous. ****1/2.
Triple I Models: A storyboard and some digital stills. ***1/2.
Storyboarding:
Storyboard Galleries. Overall: ***1/2.
Moebius Misc. Storyboarding Artwork: Storyboard from some of the action sequences. Very cartoony. ***1/2.
Early Storyboard Artwork: I like the designs of the early lightcycles. But that would have been impossible to pull off at the time. ****.
TRON: Legacy Trailer: Looks good. Although the special effects aren't quite as special looking. ****.
TRON: Evolution Trailer: Huh. A GOOD TRON videogame. Atari must be ticked. *****.
Disc 1 DVD Menu: Spiffy. Only drawback is that it automatically plays the movie after going through the rotations twice. ****1/2.
Disc 2 DVD Menu: Panoramic view of the World Of TRON. *****.
TRON: Legacy
I would have given this five stars if it weren't for the lukewarm ending. Those two major character deaths were unnecessary (well, it could be argued ONE was necessary) and kind of bummed me out. I really hope there is a sequel and both deaths are retconned. It was NOT a smart idea.
Surprisingly the movie did everything else right. Yeah, the special effects are WAAAAYYY too updated to actually BE special anymore but the sequel was FAR more accessible than the first one, (which was practically incomprehensible), AND managed to pay excellent tribute to the original, with a tapestry of continuity and fanservice. Honestly, the movie hewed SO closely to the canon it almost felt like the movie was made two years later rather than three decades. The writers obviously loved the original movie and it showed.
Olivia Wilde was hot and it was great to see Bruce Boxlietner again. And Jeff Bridges makes a good hero AND villain. Especially since CLU was a good guy in the original TRON. Nice touch.
I would have liked to have seen Cindy Morgan again and I wonder what happened to Dillinger Sr. I think the movie kept so much stuff up in the air to leave the franchise's options open. I'll bet they didn't want to paint themselves into a corner.
So, this was pretty much a great movie until the last fifteen minutes which turned it into merely a good one. Recommended. ****.
First Look At TRON: Uprising, The Disney XD Animated Series: I want to see this show now. *****.
Visualizing TRON: Featurette about the updated special effects. ****1/2.
Installing The Cast: Best bit was about Micheal Sheen's casting process. Guy's a huge TRON nerd. ****1/2.
DVD Menu: Nice, but it felt more like a regular movie menu rather than as specific to TRON as the original special edition menus were. That's probably because the visual effects in the sequel looked contemporary while the original's were mindblowingly ahead of their time. ****.
