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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for two episodes of Iron Man: Armored Adventures, this week's DC Nation shorts and the latest episodes of Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Young Justice, ThunderCats, MAD, Once Upon A Time, Fringe, Grimm, Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, Bob's Burgers, Community, 30 Rock and Ringer.
Upcoming reviews include The Muppets, Torchwood: Miracle Day, Smallville: Season 7, Smallville: Season 8, Smallville: Season 9, Smallville: Season 10, Young Justice: Season 1: Vols. 1,2,& 3, Transformers Prime: Season 1, The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Volume 2: The War Years, The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Volume 3: The Years Of Change and Heathcliff: Season 1 - Vol. 1.
Iron Man: Armored Adventures "Mandarin's Quest"
So-so but it's about time the series got back to Tony and Mandarin. Having Gene spend the entire season on the other side of the world was kind of silly unless they were going somewhere with it.
Am I the only one who REALLY hopes Gene gets all ten rings? I want to see what happens when he does.
Decent but nothing special. ***1/2.
Iron Man: Armored Adventures "Hostile Takeover"
I didn't care for this one. Justin Hammer just isn't the same villain Stane is and the idea of a broke Tony is a poor one. And teenage Tony starting his own multi-million dollar business is only slightly more believable than The Micheal Scott Paper Company. ***.
DC Nation
Green Lantern: The Animated Series "Heir Apparent"
I guessed Evil Will Friedle halfway through the episode. It was still a really good episode though even if it was predictable. Maybe it's because I'm kind of a Green Lantern newbie but many of these situations and ideas are completely fresh to me.
I liked Razer and Aia sneaking around off the ship. I think they may wind up making a cute couple.
I enjoyed the episode even if it was a bit predictable. ****.
Young Justice "Insecurity"
Sportsmaster was Artemis' Big Bad relative? I was hoping for someone cool like Ra's Al Ghul. The episode was still really great with excellent pacing and well timed action sequences. The dialogue was also pretty snappy too.
I still think the mole is brainwashed Superman and I think Artemis looks less and less likely to be it. As a double-agent it isn't out of the question but that doesn't look likely either considering how inadvertantly suspicious she has been acting.
Wow, I REALLY dislike this version of Red Arrow. I've never liked Speedy but this one is a jerk.
Great episode. ****1/2.
DC Nation Demonstrations "Knockout Gas Arrow"
I didn't actually see the paint go anywhere. And gas is totally different than paint. **1/2.
New Teen Titans #11 "Stream Of Consciences"
Nice to hear the entire cast again. Beast Boy is so cute! I loved Starfire flying into his ear. ****1/2.
Superman @ Tokyo #2
I've decided I don't like the Baby Superman shorts. At all. They completely suck and it really stinks that we will probably have to see many more of them. *.
ThunderCats "Trials Of Lion-O: Part One"
This was sort of a shortened version of the classic five parter "Lion-O's Annointment Trials". It wasn't as cool and I didn't like the reasoning behind it but it frankly came up with a more believable way for Lion-O to beat Cheetara.
I'm loving Atticus and Ca-Nar. Truly awesome updates for Monkian and Jackalman.
I'm looking forward to the conclusion. I know the show is canceled so it better not end on a cliffhanger the way Wolverine and the X-Men did. ****.
MAD "The Adventures Of Taun-Taun / Everybody Loves Rayman"
The Rayman parody was golden. They managed to parody Marie Barone flawlessly and I loved how whiny and nasally Rayman was. The Star Wars/Tin-Tin parody was less successful because it didn't really have anything to do with Tin-Tin. I loved the Koopa Soup ad and would definitely buy and eat that. Good episode. ****.
Fringe "Nothing As It Seems"
Loved this episode. Walter giving Peter all of those missing birthday presents made me tear up and him exiting the bathroom with Hump magazine after a loud toilet flush made me laugh. I also really loved Peter's conversation with an obviously smitten Lincoln and Lincoln's increasing dismay at Walter's pronouncement that he had an 80% chance to be cured.
About the only thing I didn't love was the resolution of the mystery. If they are going to come back to it I'll feel differently but I hope they didn't pull an X-Files and have an ambiguous ending for the sake of ambiguity. Nevertheless the episode was wonderful. ****.
Once Upon A Time "The Stable Boy"
Let me get this straight. Regina hates Snow White because her MOTHER killed her boyfriend? Talk about shifting blame! This honestly makes me LESS sympathetic to Regina, not more. I actually have some sympathy for Gold because he was almost a victim in his turn to the dark side but Regina made a very deliberate choice here and one that was also incredibly stupid.
I get that she's an abused child but I have no sympathy for abused children who go on to be abusers themselves. I firmly believe that once you are an adult you have to take responsibility for your own actions. It's part of the reason I have no tolerance for racists who were "simply raised that way". I shouldn't have to find common ground with hateful and evil people simply because they learned that behavior as kids. At some point you have to grow up and own your own behavior.
How cute was the ragamuffin who played Snow? She not only LOOKED like Ginnifer Goodwin, but she aped her mousey mannerisms flawlessly and even had the same voice. Are you sure they didn't just use CGI to de-age her? I have a feeling the kid was actually a big fan of the show beforehand if she knew exactly how to play Snow.
Emma's superpower sucks if she can't tell when Sidney is lying to her. Is it because he used to be a genie? I have a feeling that particular superpower will be something the writers will have difficulty struggling to work around. It was probably a bad idea to give it to her in the first place.
Speculation: I've heard it theorized that Cora is the Queen of Hearts from Hat Trick. Agree? Disagree? I personally think it's a fine theory.
Not a perfect episode because of all of the plot holes but interesting nonetheless. ****.
Grimm "Island Of Dreams"
I really liked Nick's relationship to that woman (who was sparking with Monroe). It's got to be frightening and weird to team up with someone you believed all your life would kill you.
I'm worried about Sgt. Wu. Not so much, Hank, because I'm betting Nick can find out what's happening to him but I don't think ANYONE will have any idea how screwed up Wu is now. I hope I'm wrong.
I really enjoyed the episode. ****1/2.
Family Guy "You Can't Do That On Television, Peter"
They canceled Jolly Farm and not a word on that development from Stewie? Are you kidding me, Family Guy?
Loved Meg working in the hospital but the entire family at the end was completely ungrateful for her saving Peter's life. This episode left a bad taste in my mouth even though there were quite a few funny bits. ***.
American Dad "The Kidney Stays In The Picture"
This was actually pretty touching on Stan's part in my mind. The fact that he loves Hayley so much he doesn't ever want to know for sure if she's his real daughter is actually a suprisingly moving development. I also like that the character design for Francine's one-night-stand actually LOOKED like Hayley (he even had a bandana) so you didn't know where they were going with it. And Roger and the kidney at the end was SO freaking funny. Perfect.
Loved the episode. ****1/2.
The Cleveland Show "Frapp Attack"
Last week I've made some comments about how a show with nearly all white writers shouldn't have a black character exploring his racial identity. Well, that goes double for infantalizing a black man. It may be "funny" but it sends a terrible message and is a cheap laugh and not a genuine one. The writers obviously have no respect for Cleveland and this episode showed that. *1/2.
Bob's Burgers "Burgerboss"
Aziz Ansari makes everything awesome. Gene, Tina and Louise were funny when they were crashing all of those parties and then the yacht club. I loved Gene refusing the pizza bagel and then going back for it. But since when do you need kids to enter an arcade? ***1/2.
Community "Digital Exploration Of Interior Design"
My first thought was that Abed and Troy fighting makes me sad (John Goodman is EEEEEEVIIIILLLLL!). But the second and more jaw-dropping thought is that Subway actually PAID to have their product advertised in this manner. Are they CRAZY?! Or do they just have a really twisted sense of humor? I have never seen a TV product placement take so many knocks at the corporate level. Take notes, 30 Rock. This is how you do it.
Granted, now I'm hungry for Subway so they did their job but that was a completely insane way to go about it. ****.
30 Rock "The Shower Principle"
Hazel? Awesome. (Who knew Kristen Shaal was that ripped?) Everything else: Done to death. Kenneth was tolerable for once though so points for that. ***.
Ringer "If You're Just An Evil B**** Then Get Over It"
It's been hinted for a couple of weeks that Catherine wanted Shiobhan dead but it makes zero sense that she hired the guy Bridget wound up killing in the pilot since he answered to the REAL Shiobhan then. Retcon? If so, it's hard to believe since they seem to be taking pains to connect all of the dots here. Is there another explanation or am I just remembering things wrong?
I look forward to Henry's uncle bailing out Andrew. That should get juicy.
I think it's only a matter of time till Bridget reveals her true identity to Machado. I'm looking forward to that.
Where is Malcolm? They didn't really kill him off, did they?
This show doesn't have much of a shot of being renewed so I hope the season ending cliffhanger in two weeks isn't too brutal. See you next week! ****.
Wallace And Gromit's World Of Invention
This clever miniseries is part Wallace and Gromit cartoon and part live-action documentary. It's Wallace hosting a TV show that showcases real-life inventors and their inventions. Some of the ideas seem a bit disappointing (I was bummed that the hyped "invisibility cloak" merely turned out to be a radar trick) but some of the stuff is REALLY cool. My favorite invention was the artificials gills for humans. I also really dug that walking sand dune robot and the segment of that African kid who created a wind-power generator to give electricity to his entire village for the first time. A lot of the inventions are really impractical so it's fitting that the series is hosted by Wallace. The first and third episodes are the best. Series Overall: ****1/2.
1. Nature Knows Best: I loved those aircrafts designed after the manta ray and the aritficial gills are astounding. But the bug-powered machines made me gag. Kevin the Elephant made me laugh hard especially since his farts powered Wallace's contraption. *****.
2. Reach for the Sky: Loved the rocket pack. How does a guy NOT set his butt on fire? I've always meant to ask the guy who created The Rocketeer that. The bio-suit is really awesome too. The rest of the episode was ho-hum but I WILL give it credit for having the funniest Wallace and Gromit wrap-arounds of the entire miniseries. Wallace setting his cup of tea on the self-destruct button was classic. ***1/2.
3. Home Sweet Home: That story of the windmill was super heartwarming and almost put a tear in my eye. It was basically demonstrating the best of what humanity can achieve. Wallace's L.A.D. robot was funny too and I cracked up at the Grand Theft Auto line. ****1/2.
4. Come to Your Senses: A mixed bag. The Invisilbility Cloak was a huge let-down and the bee bomb detectors were beyond impractical. However the mobile telephone system segment with Jem was beyond awesome and one of my favorites. Weirdest invention was the lollipop that helped blind people see. That was another really impractical invention that I can NEVER see catching on even though it works. For one thing, only a person who LOST their sight would be able to properly use it. You'd have to know what stuff already looked like to interpret the images on the tongue correctly. A person who was blind from birth wouldn't be able to do it. ***1/2.
5. Better Safe than Sorry: The Hedy Lamarr segment made me angry that the U.S. government ignored a brilliant invention that would have REALLY helped in WWII because it was designed by a beautiful Hollywood actress. Women's rights have taken a big step backwards in the last couple of years but I'd like to think something like this couldn't ever happen nowadays. If Angelina Jolie or Lady Gaga DID ever come up with a weapons system, don't you think that would make a good movie? I can see the U.S. government and Hollywood getting dollar signs in their eyes. Biggest missed Hollywood opportunity until M&Ms refused to have their candy featured in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. ***1/2.
6. From A to B: The weakest episode. It's interesting but these are the least coolest inventions. The Wallace and Gromit parts were nothing special either. ***.
Your World Of Invention:
These are live-action segments hosted by a guy named Ricky Martin (no, not THAT Ricky Martin) about how to create your own inventions. The adult supervision requirement seems logical considering the amount of expensive Mommy and Daddy possessions you'd wind up wrecking in the name of science. I love the Atmospheric Railroad as much as anybody but Mommy MIGHT get mad if you ruin her nice new vaccuum cleaner just for that. Overall: ****.
1. Atmospheric Railroad: That bit of Ricky Martin at the table with his lady friend using the railway to pass the salt was hilarious. *****.
2. Wind-Power Sprinkler: NO way any kid could make this. WAAAAYYYY too complicated. Cool though. ****.
3. Fin Ray Grabber: You'd need a great deal of dexterity to created all of those small pieces. Tiny fingers wouldn't hurt either. ****.
4. Air Rocket: The funnest of the "Your World Of Invention" contraptions. I want one now. *****.
5. Spy Camera: Weakest of the segments because the invention doesn't actually appear to really work. Also the humor isn't funny for once. **1/2.
6. Upside-Down-O-Scope: Easiest of the inventions to make. It's pretty cool too. ****1/2.
Blu-Ray Menu: Cool. Shows clips from the World Of Invention opening title. *****.
Stephen King's Bag Of Bones
The complete miniseries is finally on DVD and I find I enjoy it much more on DVD than over the air. The same problems I had with it still stand but it looks great and the atmosphere really sucks you with high quality picture and sound. Plus, no commercials means the tension doesn't ever let up. I really enjoyed watching this again. Revised grade: ****.
Here are my original reviews for both parts:
Stephen King's Bag Of Bones: Part One
I had always thought that Bag Of Bones, which is actually a good book would not be a good candidate for a movie. A miniseries is especially stretching it considering the numerous amounts of times we are pulled into fake-out dreams or when literally nothing seems to be happening.
However Melissa George is a great Maddie. She's surprisingly appealing considering that she played the much-loathed Lauren on Alias. Ki's actress was WAAAAYYY too old however, but I know it couldn't be helped. An actual two and a half year old would NOT have been able to pull off the heartbreaking stuff in part 2.
Miscasts? I hate to say it, but Pierce Brosnon as Mike Noonan. I LOVE Brosnon but his accent is all over the map and not only does it not sound like he's from New England, he doesn't sound like he's from the planet Earth.
The cliffhanger was lame too. ***.
Stephen King's Bag Of Bones: Part Two
William Schallert was an interesting choice as Max Devore as he is usually know for lovable or grandfatherly roles in G rated fare. His role was cast shockingly against type. He was surprisingly good too. Unfortunately the scene where he and his lady friend accost Noonan, toss him in the water and throw rocks at him was NOWHERE as intense as in the book. Honestly, I know a scene like that might have been difficult to pull off in live-action no matter the budget but since it WAS the most memorable scene in the book, they should have at least tried harder.
The ending with Ki and Mike being up in the air was just as unsatisfying in the book. However I liked the scenes of Jo and Maddie's ghosts as I could never quite make out in my head what that would look like when I read the novel.
The rape scene was horrifying without being gratuituous. I'm glad this aired on A&E instead of FX where they would have made it REALLY messed up. The suggestive way they did it was just as effective as a graphic scene would have been. Sometimes I think horror stories use graphic violence as a crutch. I much prefer King's miniseries to his movies just because he's had to become a bit more creative to get his scares across.
This was better than Part One, but I still think it wasn't the best choice for a book with such a huge amount of inner monologues told from a first person perspective for a movie. ***1/2. Two Part Average: ***1/2.
Deleted Scenes:
Voicemail From Sid: Mike listens to Sid on the voicemail. ***.
I Miss You Jo: Pierce Brosnon overracts here a bit. The shock was a nice surprise though. ***1/2.
Down The Drain: This was a great two-part scene that HAD to have only been cut because of censorship concerns. The first part ties into the dropped crossword subplot and the second involves Mike urinating on the home pregnancy test box in the toilet. We don't actually see "Lil' Pierce" but this was certainly one of the most graphic pee scenes I've seen on television. ****1/2.
You Did Good Jo: Unneeded. **1/2.
DVD Menu: Pretty lame but I give it props for letting you be able to play both parts seperately. Those of us with small bladders appreciate that as many Stephen King miniseries DVDs rarely show us that courtesy. **.
Upcoming reviews include The Muppets, Torchwood: Miracle Day, Smallville: Season 7, Smallville: Season 8, Smallville: Season 9, Smallville: Season 10, Young Justice: Season 1: Vols. 1,2,& 3, Transformers Prime: Season 1, The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Volume 2: The War Years, The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Volume 3: The Years Of Change and Heathcliff: Season 1 - Vol. 1.
Iron Man: Armored Adventures "Mandarin's Quest"
So-so but it's about time the series got back to Tony and Mandarin. Having Gene spend the entire season on the other side of the world was kind of silly unless they were going somewhere with it.
Am I the only one who REALLY hopes Gene gets all ten rings? I want to see what happens when he does.
Decent but nothing special. ***1/2.
Iron Man: Armored Adventures "Hostile Takeover"
I didn't care for this one. Justin Hammer just isn't the same villain Stane is and the idea of a broke Tony is a poor one. And teenage Tony starting his own multi-million dollar business is only slightly more believable than The Micheal Scott Paper Company. ***.
DC Nation
Green Lantern: The Animated Series "Heir Apparent"
I guessed Evil Will Friedle halfway through the episode. It was still a really good episode though even if it was predictable. Maybe it's because I'm kind of a Green Lantern newbie but many of these situations and ideas are completely fresh to me.
I liked Razer and Aia sneaking around off the ship. I think they may wind up making a cute couple.
I enjoyed the episode even if it was a bit predictable. ****.
Young Justice "Insecurity"
Sportsmaster was Artemis' Big Bad relative? I was hoping for someone cool like Ra's Al Ghul. The episode was still really great with excellent pacing and well timed action sequences. The dialogue was also pretty snappy too.
I still think the mole is brainwashed Superman and I think Artemis looks less and less likely to be it. As a double-agent it isn't out of the question but that doesn't look likely either considering how inadvertantly suspicious she has been acting.
Wow, I REALLY dislike this version of Red Arrow. I've never liked Speedy but this one is a jerk.
Great episode. ****1/2.
DC Nation Demonstrations "Knockout Gas Arrow"
I didn't actually see the paint go anywhere. And gas is totally different than paint. **1/2.
New Teen Titans #11 "Stream Of Consciences"
Nice to hear the entire cast again. Beast Boy is so cute! I loved Starfire flying into his ear. ****1/2.
Superman @ Tokyo #2
I've decided I don't like the Baby Superman shorts. At all. They completely suck and it really stinks that we will probably have to see many more of them. *.
ThunderCats "Trials Of Lion-O: Part One"
This was sort of a shortened version of the classic five parter "Lion-O's Annointment Trials". It wasn't as cool and I didn't like the reasoning behind it but it frankly came up with a more believable way for Lion-O to beat Cheetara.
I'm loving Atticus and Ca-Nar. Truly awesome updates for Monkian and Jackalman.
I'm looking forward to the conclusion. I know the show is canceled so it better not end on a cliffhanger the way Wolverine and the X-Men did. ****.
MAD "The Adventures Of Taun-Taun / Everybody Loves Rayman"
The Rayman parody was golden. They managed to parody Marie Barone flawlessly and I loved how whiny and nasally Rayman was. The Star Wars/Tin-Tin parody was less successful because it didn't really have anything to do with Tin-Tin. I loved the Koopa Soup ad and would definitely buy and eat that. Good episode. ****.
Fringe "Nothing As It Seems"
Loved this episode. Walter giving Peter all of those missing birthday presents made me tear up and him exiting the bathroom with Hump magazine after a loud toilet flush made me laugh. I also really loved Peter's conversation with an obviously smitten Lincoln and Lincoln's increasing dismay at Walter's pronouncement that he had an 80% chance to be cured.
About the only thing I didn't love was the resolution of the mystery. If they are going to come back to it I'll feel differently but I hope they didn't pull an X-Files and have an ambiguous ending for the sake of ambiguity. Nevertheless the episode was wonderful. ****.
Once Upon A Time "The Stable Boy"
Let me get this straight. Regina hates Snow White because her MOTHER killed her boyfriend? Talk about shifting blame! This honestly makes me LESS sympathetic to Regina, not more. I actually have some sympathy for Gold because he was almost a victim in his turn to the dark side but Regina made a very deliberate choice here and one that was also incredibly stupid.
I get that she's an abused child but I have no sympathy for abused children who go on to be abusers themselves. I firmly believe that once you are an adult you have to take responsibility for your own actions. It's part of the reason I have no tolerance for racists who were "simply raised that way". I shouldn't have to find common ground with hateful and evil people simply because they learned that behavior as kids. At some point you have to grow up and own your own behavior.
How cute was the ragamuffin who played Snow? She not only LOOKED like Ginnifer Goodwin, but she aped her mousey mannerisms flawlessly and even had the same voice. Are you sure they didn't just use CGI to de-age her? I have a feeling the kid was actually a big fan of the show beforehand if she knew exactly how to play Snow.
Emma's superpower sucks if she can't tell when Sidney is lying to her. Is it because he used to be a genie? I have a feeling that particular superpower will be something the writers will have difficulty struggling to work around. It was probably a bad idea to give it to her in the first place.
Speculation: I've heard it theorized that Cora is the Queen of Hearts from Hat Trick. Agree? Disagree? I personally think it's a fine theory.
Not a perfect episode because of all of the plot holes but interesting nonetheless. ****.
Grimm "Island Of Dreams"
I really liked Nick's relationship to that woman (who was sparking with Monroe). It's got to be frightening and weird to team up with someone you believed all your life would kill you.
I'm worried about Sgt. Wu. Not so much, Hank, because I'm betting Nick can find out what's happening to him but I don't think ANYONE will have any idea how screwed up Wu is now. I hope I'm wrong.
I really enjoyed the episode. ****1/2.
Family Guy "You Can't Do That On Television, Peter"
They canceled Jolly Farm and not a word on that development from Stewie? Are you kidding me, Family Guy?
Loved Meg working in the hospital but the entire family at the end was completely ungrateful for her saving Peter's life. This episode left a bad taste in my mouth even though there were quite a few funny bits. ***.
American Dad "The Kidney Stays In The Picture"
This was actually pretty touching on Stan's part in my mind. The fact that he loves Hayley so much he doesn't ever want to know for sure if she's his real daughter is actually a suprisingly moving development. I also like that the character design for Francine's one-night-stand actually LOOKED like Hayley (he even had a bandana) so you didn't know where they were going with it. And Roger and the kidney at the end was SO freaking funny. Perfect.
Loved the episode. ****1/2.
The Cleveland Show "Frapp Attack"
Last week I've made some comments about how a show with nearly all white writers shouldn't have a black character exploring his racial identity. Well, that goes double for infantalizing a black man. It may be "funny" but it sends a terrible message and is a cheap laugh and not a genuine one. The writers obviously have no respect for Cleveland and this episode showed that. *1/2.
Bob's Burgers "Burgerboss"
Aziz Ansari makes everything awesome. Gene, Tina and Louise were funny when they were crashing all of those parties and then the yacht club. I loved Gene refusing the pizza bagel and then going back for it. But since when do you need kids to enter an arcade? ***1/2.
Community "Digital Exploration Of Interior Design"
My first thought was that Abed and Troy fighting makes me sad (John Goodman is EEEEEEVIIIILLLLL!). But the second and more jaw-dropping thought is that Subway actually PAID to have their product advertised in this manner. Are they CRAZY?! Or do they just have a really twisted sense of humor? I have never seen a TV product placement take so many knocks at the corporate level. Take notes, 30 Rock. This is how you do it.
Granted, now I'm hungry for Subway so they did their job but that was a completely insane way to go about it. ****.
30 Rock "The Shower Principle"
Hazel? Awesome. (Who knew Kristen Shaal was that ripped?) Everything else: Done to death. Kenneth was tolerable for once though so points for that. ***.
Ringer "If You're Just An Evil B**** Then Get Over It"
It's been hinted for a couple of weeks that Catherine wanted Shiobhan dead but it makes zero sense that she hired the guy Bridget wound up killing in the pilot since he answered to the REAL Shiobhan then. Retcon? If so, it's hard to believe since they seem to be taking pains to connect all of the dots here. Is there another explanation or am I just remembering things wrong?
I look forward to Henry's uncle bailing out Andrew. That should get juicy.
I think it's only a matter of time till Bridget reveals her true identity to Machado. I'm looking forward to that.
Where is Malcolm? They didn't really kill him off, did they?
This show doesn't have much of a shot of being renewed so I hope the season ending cliffhanger in two weeks isn't too brutal. See you next week! ****.
Wallace And Gromit's World Of Invention
This clever miniseries is part Wallace and Gromit cartoon and part live-action documentary. It's Wallace hosting a TV show that showcases real-life inventors and their inventions. Some of the ideas seem a bit disappointing (I was bummed that the hyped "invisibility cloak" merely turned out to be a radar trick) but some of the stuff is REALLY cool. My favorite invention was the artificials gills for humans. I also really dug that walking sand dune robot and the segment of that African kid who created a wind-power generator to give electricity to his entire village for the first time. A lot of the inventions are really impractical so it's fitting that the series is hosted by Wallace. The first and third episodes are the best. Series Overall: ****1/2.
1. Nature Knows Best: I loved those aircrafts designed after the manta ray and the aritficial gills are astounding. But the bug-powered machines made me gag. Kevin the Elephant made me laugh hard especially since his farts powered Wallace's contraption. *****.
2. Reach for the Sky: Loved the rocket pack. How does a guy NOT set his butt on fire? I've always meant to ask the guy who created The Rocketeer that. The bio-suit is really awesome too. The rest of the episode was ho-hum but I WILL give it credit for having the funniest Wallace and Gromit wrap-arounds of the entire miniseries. Wallace setting his cup of tea on the self-destruct button was classic. ***1/2.
3. Home Sweet Home: That story of the windmill was super heartwarming and almost put a tear in my eye. It was basically demonstrating the best of what humanity can achieve. Wallace's L.A.D. robot was funny too and I cracked up at the Grand Theft Auto line. ****1/2.
4. Come to Your Senses: A mixed bag. The Invisilbility Cloak was a huge let-down and the bee bomb detectors were beyond impractical. However the mobile telephone system segment with Jem was beyond awesome and one of my favorites. Weirdest invention was the lollipop that helped blind people see. That was another really impractical invention that I can NEVER see catching on even though it works. For one thing, only a person who LOST their sight would be able to properly use it. You'd have to know what stuff already looked like to interpret the images on the tongue correctly. A person who was blind from birth wouldn't be able to do it. ***1/2.
5. Better Safe than Sorry: The Hedy Lamarr segment made me angry that the U.S. government ignored a brilliant invention that would have REALLY helped in WWII because it was designed by a beautiful Hollywood actress. Women's rights have taken a big step backwards in the last couple of years but I'd like to think something like this couldn't ever happen nowadays. If Angelina Jolie or Lady Gaga DID ever come up with a weapons system, don't you think that would make a good movie? I can see the U.S. government and Hollywood getting dollar signs in their eyes. Biggest missed Hollywood opportunity until M&Ms refused to have their candy featured in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. ***1/2.
6. From A to B: The weakest episode. It's interesting but these are the least coolest inventions. The Wallace and Gromit parts were nothing special either. ***.
Your World Of Invention:
These are live-action segments hosted by a guy named Ricky Martin (no, not THAT Ricky Martin) about how to create your own inventions. The adult supervision requirement seems logical considering the amount of expensive Mommy and Daddy possessions you'd wind up wrecking in the name of science. I love the Atmospheric Railroad as much as anybody but Mommy MIGHT get mad if you ruin her nice new vaccuum cleaner just for that. Overall: ****.
1. Atmospheric Railroad: That bit of Ricky Martin at the table with his lady friend using the railway to pass the salt was hilarious. *****.
2. Wind-Power Sprinkler: NO way any kid could make this. WAAAAYYYY too complicated. Cool though. ****.
3. Fin Ray Grabber: You'd need a great deal of dexterity to created all of those small pieces. Tiny fingers wouldn't hurt either. ****.
4. Air Rocket: The funnest of the "Your World Of Invention" contraptions. I want one now. *****.
5. Spy Camera: Weakest of the segments because the invention doesn't actually appear to really work. Also the humor isn't funny for once. **1/2.
6. Upside-Down-O-Scope: Easiest of the inventions to make. It's pretty cool too. ****1/2.
Blu-Ray Menu: Cool. Shows clips from the World Of Invention opening title. *****.
Stephen King's Bag Of Bones
The complete miniseries is finally on DVD and I find I enjoy it much more on DVD than over the air. The same problems I had with it still stand but it looks great and the atmosphere really sucks you with high quality picture and sound. Plus, no commercials means the tension doesn't ever let up. I really enjoyed watching this again. Revised grade: ****.
Here are my original reviews for both parts:
Stephen King's Bag Of Bones: Part One
I had always thought that Bag Of Bones, which is actually a good book would not be a good candidate for a movie. A miniseries is especially stretching it considering the numerous amounts of times we are pulled into fake-out dreams or when literally nothing seems to be happening.
However Melissa George is a great Maddie. She's surprisingly appealing considering that she played the much-loathed Lauren on Alias. Ki's actress was WAAAAYYY too old however, but I know it couldn't be helped. An actual two and a half year old would NOT have been able to pull off the heartbreaking stuff in part 2.
Miscasts? I hate to say it, but Pierce Brosnon as Mike Noonan. I LOVE Brosnon but his accent is all over the map and not only does it not sound like he's from New England, he doesn't sound like he's from the planet Earth.
The cliffhanger was lame too. ***.
Stephen King's Bag Of Bones: Part Two
William Schallert was an interesting choice as Max Devore as he is usually know for lovable or grandfatherly roles in G rated fare. His role was cast shockingly against type. He was surprisingly good too. Unfortunately the scene where he and his lady friend accost Noonan, toss him in the water and throw rocks at him was NOWHERE as intense as in the book. Honestly, I know a scene like that might have been difficult to pull off in live-action no matter the budget but since it WAS the most memorable scene in the book, they should have at least tried harder.
The ending with Ki and Mike being up in the air was just as unsatisfying in the book. However I liked the scenes of Jo and Maddie's ghosts as I could never quite make out in my head what that would look like when I read the novel.
The rape scene was horrifying without being gratuituous. I'm glad this aired on A&E instead of FX where they would have made it REALLY messed up. The suggestive way they did it was just as effective as a graphic scene would have been. Sometimes I think horror stories use graphic violence as a crutch. I much prefer King's miniseries to his movies just because he's had to become a bit more creative to get his scares across.
This was better than Part One, but I still think it wasn't the best choice for a book with such a huge amount of inner monologues told from a first person perspective for a movie. ***1/2. Two Part Average: ***1/2.
Deleted Scenes:
Voicemail From Sid: Mike listens to Sid on the voicemail. ***.
I Miss You Jo: Pierce Brosnon overracts here a bit. The shock was a nice surprise though. ***1/2.
Down The Drain: This was a great two-part scene that HAD to have only been cut because of censorship concerns. The first part ties into the dropped crossword subplot and the second involves Mike urinating on the home pregnancy test box in the toilet. We don't actually see "Lil' Pierce" but this was certainly one of the most graphic pee scenes I've seen on television. ****1/2.
You Did Good Jo: Unneeded. **1/2.
DVD Menu: Pretty lame but I give it props for letting you be able to play both parts seperately. Those of us with small bladders appreciate that as many Stephen King miniseries DVDs rarely show us that courtesy. **.
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no subject
Date: 2012-04-05 04:05 am (UTC)The Iolande-Ragnar-a GL is murdered plot was loosely adapted from the comics.
Young Justice
Sportsmaster (and Paula) being Artemis' parents are straight out of the comics. Cheshire's relation was made for the show. I applauded the staff for making Paula's former villain handle Huntress instead of Tigress. They really are gunning for sticking to the chronology of the comics (Huntress was Paula's first codename in the comics then later it became Tigress).
Agreed on Red Arrow being a total butthead. I'm thinking he's a brainwashed mole who doesn't know he's the mole.
I dug they showed Red Tornado working on his John Smith android body (his alias in the comics). It continues from "Terrors" when Martian Manhunter mentioned he suggested the name for Red. Also all the holiday items for several religions in his apartment was a nice touch nodding his ongoing study of humanity.
New Teen Titans
I laughed when Silkie tumbled out of Beast Boy's ear as Starfire rummaged around inside.
Superman of Tokyo
Agreed, hate it, too. ha ha.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-05 09:16 pm (UTC)Young Justice: I doubt Red Arrow is the mole. That would be too pat. I WANT him to be the mole. So he isn't. The mole has gotta be brainwashed Superboy.
New Teen Titans: Silkie!
Superman Of Tokyo: Who are these shorts supposed to appeal to anyways? Because comic fans hate them and I'm betting kids think they are stupid. They need to get gone and stay gone.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-06 12:53 am (UTC)You're welcome, Matt.
Young Justice
True, true. I'll stick to my guns and say it's Red Arrow.
DC Nation
I'm not sure either, Matt. I recall from a recent interview with Ben Jones that there only real directive is to stay away from the Big Seven - Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter - and pick the most obscure characters and designs that you wouldn't necessarily see in a full length series. But based on some of the shorts there is some wiggle room for Batman and Superman to pop in.
There are at least two shorts coming up that will be more somber and serious in tone than what we've seen so far.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-06 10:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 03:12 am (UTC)The Atom will be based on the Sword of the Atom mini series. Batman: The Brave and The Bold did an episode in season three that adopted elements of it, the aptly titled "Sword of the Atom!"
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Date: 2012-04-07 10:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-08 04:15 am (UTC)Oh yeah, and the Doom Patrol one's producer/director is Ben Jones.
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Date: 2012-04-08 06:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-08 09:55 pm (UTC)Iron Man: Armored Adventures "Hostile Takeover" - I'm glad Hammer isn't Stane, I feel like in the comics they're too similar (and probably why they killed Stane off). Tony's a genius, he'll come up with some million dollar idea to fund his new company.
Green Lantern: The Animated Series "Heir Apparent" - Glad some other Green Lantern projects hadn't spoiled the surprise for you (I'm pretty sure Iolande was in Emerald Knights). I'm definitely shipping Razer and...uh...the ship.
Young Justice "Insecurity" - If it makes you feel any better, one of the Light Leaders is related to someone on the Team (won't spoil in case you don't know). Brainwashed Superman or Superboy? I'm less sure of my Artemis double agent theory now.
DC Nation Demonstrations "Knockout Gas Arrow" - I wanted actually gas too.
New Teen Titans #11 "Stream Of Consciences" - Funniest yet.
Superman @ Tokyo #2 - This...makes me uncomfortable.
ThunderCats "Trials Of Lion-O: Part One" - Guess I liked the reasoning behind it more than you did. Lion-O is dead!
Are you going to be watching Ultimate Spider-Man in addition to Avengers: EMH?
Once Upon A Time "The Stable Boy" - I feel like there's more to Regina's backstory. Maybe she does get her revenge on her mother and her resentment to Snow just grows with the years. Cora as the Queen of Hearts? Maybe, but it looks like she's actually the Miller's Daughter (I thought it was Regina herself). As for that actress who played Snow White, she has to be either a clone of Ginnifer Goodwin or actually her taken out of time in the past. There's no other logical explanation. Emma's powers made sense before because Sidney was actually telling half truths, but at this point...it's wearing thin.
American Dad "The Kidney Stays In The Picture" - I like Stan caring for Hayley too.
Community "Digital Exploration Of Interior Design" - It's brilliant because with advertising, the important thing is you REMEMBER the product. And guess what? My friend and I were saying "Eat fresh!" to each other the next day because of this. And you're hungry for Subway. I think 30 Rock did just as good a job with McDonald's.
Wallace And Gromit's World Of Invention - Man, I hope Lady Gaga comes up with a weapons system, that'd be SO awesome!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-09 12:41 am (UTC)Young Justice: Yeah, Artemis seems SO unlikely to be a double agent (if she was she would be REALLY bad at it) that she is completely off my suspicion list as the mole. Brainwashed Superboy is still a suspect but even that theory seems less likely considering Red Arrow actually brought the possibility up. If the writers were actually going to go in that direction why would they tip their hand like that? I fear it's going to turn out to be a character we care about like Miss Martian or Aqualad. I've got a bad feeling about this. I SO hope it's Red Arrow.
Superman @ Tokyo: Explain. Hearing someone else bash these shorts will NEVER get old.
Trials Of Lion-O: Trust me, they were INVITING comparisons to Lion-O's Annointment Trials (right down to the episode title) and this episode was nowhere NEAR as epic. I haven't seen the conclusion yet but I doubt an extra 22 minutes will change that.
Yes, I will be reviewing Ultimate Spider-Man. Look for my first review tonight or tomorrow.
Once Upon A Time: The only reason I think Cora is the Queen of Hearts is because they took great pains to hide the Queen's face. They are obviously preparing us for a big reveal down the road and Cora is the logical suspect (especially since she kidnapped Regina's father). And as I said about the kid, she must be a HUGE fan of the show and play act it with her friends after school. The mannerisms were absolutely flawless. The fact that she actually looked and sounded like Ginnifer Goodwin too was a near impossible feat.
American Dad: Agreed. And the show has really been pointing that out in recent seasons. Their politics don't really seem to divide them much anymore.
Community: Except McDonalds is still gross and the only way I would eat there is to collect a specific Happy Meal toy (such as the Green Lantern: TAS toys this months). 30 Rock never made me hungry for McDonalds. Community DID make me hungry for Subway (especially since Subway actually tastes GOOD).
Wallace and Gromit: The fact that Hedy Lemarr actually did is just as astounding and bizarre. Sometimes I LOVE real life.
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Date: 2012-04-12 04:06 pm (UTC)Superman @ Tokyo: I like the babysitter, but the rest of it is just too bizarre to be funny. Why is his mother in love with him?!
Once Upon A Time: The Queen of Hearts is definitely a mystery, but I'm kind of hoping Regina already "took care" of Cora. I'm hoping we get more of young Snow because of how amazing that girl was.
Community: Yeah, McDonalds is grosser than Subway, but I did want to eat Mayor McCheese after seeing him act on 30 Rock.
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Date: 2012-04-12 10:17 pm (UTC)Once Upon A Time: I think she already DID take care of Cora and Hat Trick proved it. Maybe QOH wears a veil because Regina did something SO bad, she permanently disfigured her. I'm trying to work out how they would reveal it's Cora if she was made-up in gross burn victim make-up but if they were able to do it for Captain Pike, it's not impossible.
Community: Ick.
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Date: 2012-04-19 12:09 am (UTC)Once Upon A Time: Yeah, Regina took care of Cora so her only vendetta left was against Snow. They could do a flashback showing what happened to Cora and the twist at the end would reveal she went off to become the QOH.
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Date: 2012-04-19 11:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-25 07:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-25 12:30 pm (UTC)