Meet Bernie the Bookmark! Frankie (Patricia Heaton) and Mike (Neil Flynn) are sick of parenting. They have done that already with two children and just don't have it in them to parent a third. Frankie threatens to bathe with the toaster if she has to listen to that speech on how this year will be the best ever! Brick (Atticus Shaffer) doesn't bother to tell her about the pep rally where he introduces his library mascot: Bernie the Bookmark, the teachers are shocked at how embarrassing the whole thing is and wished his parents would have stopped it. Naturally, this leads to some teasing though Brick just might have a new ally. This kid might be big but he's called Tiny in his family. Brick can't believe that someone is finally being nice to him. They get together at the Heck house to dance oddly after school and Brick says that they can do this all the time because his parents don't care about him anymore.
In the meantime, Sue's (Eden Sher's) roommate hasn't shown up yet and she is lonely. Everyone else does stuff with their roommate and she is horribly left out. She's alone in her picture on the bulletin board. Her RA (Stephanie Merlo) isn't enthuasic about anything. And when she does finally get together, it goes badly. She is shocked that people don't love America and that policemen can be bad. She just leaves and they inform her that she's part of the problem. And then, her roommate finally shows up. Holly (Lyndon Smith) has a nose ring and immediately wonders why there is no beer in the fridge. She isn't upset that she missed all of freshman week because she's actually a junior. And she lost out in the housing lottery, she wanted a single. Holly tells Sue that freshman and sophomore year sucked and she's pretty sure that junior year will be more of the same. And then she leaves.
Sue texts her parents in abundance. They get so sick of it. They try to cut the cord.
Things go from bad to worse. Holly puts an inappropriate sign on the wall. It is so bad that The Middle goes somewhere it has never gone before: the blurred out word. Yes, the sign says blurred out word Life. Sue is appalled. Holly lays down the law: they will never be friends because she hates people. She just wants to get her nursing degree and get the hell out of dodge. And her boyfriend is coming over tonight so Sue better get out of there. She does but is written up for sleeping in the common room and then throws up because of that act, not because she is drunk. She calls her parents in tears and Frankie and Mike drive up there upset over their little girl's pain. Fortunately, Axl (Charlie McDermott) takes pity on her and they go out for pizza. The parents are so touched only to realize that they didn't tell Brick they were leaving.
This was still a pretty good episode and I liked that Axl wasn't a complete jerk to his sister. She really needs his support and I'm glad that he realizes that and finally throws her a bone. I believe, though, that Frankie and Mike are truly dreadful parents. They want to coast through Brick's remaining years at home. Usually, the youngest child is spoiled but that is not the case in the Heck household; he's ignored instead.
Still, this is still a good episode, I just hope Sue can find a real friend and stat. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Axl has a fairly good plot line. His apartment is infected with ants. They try to lure them with syrup but that makes things worse. He gets a ferret to kill the ants but it runs away because Hutch (Alphonso McAuley) keeps the backroom open so girls can get in. Sue is thrilled about the ferret.
-Sue tells her parents that she has only eaten ice cream sandwiches for days and hasn't pooped in three days because someone is always in the bathroom. She thought pooping at three in the morning would be possible but that is when all the barfers come in. Yikes. Yet, it was the funniest moment in this episode. Axl later admits he has the same problem.
-Frankie is okay watching football with her husband.
-They don't feed Brick dinner because Mike's co-worker had a birthday at work and Frankie picked up a burrito on her way home and you must eat that food before it hardens. Again, they are horrible, neglectful parents.
-Holly doesn't even put sheets on her bed. She just sleeps on her coat.
-If Holly hates people, why does she want to be a nurse? That's the worst idea ever.
-I hope things get better for Sue. She doesn't deserve this.
-Frankie doesn't have heartburn but that doesn't mean she and Mike can have sex.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Scream Queens: Pilot
Thank goodness stuff like this can't happen in real life. This show is completely ridiculous, but it's great and addictive, for now, at least.
The main setting is the house of the Kappa Kappa Tau and it begins in 1995 with the first murder mystery of the show. During a huge house party, a girl gives birth in a bathtub without realizing she was pregnant. Instead of getting her help right away, they continue to enjoy the party but when they come back, she is dead, having bled out. What happens to the baby? Does anyone actually know?
Fast forward to the present. Grace Gardner (Skyler Samuels) is starting college much to the chagrin of her overprotective father (Oliver Hudson, much nicer and more attractive than he ever was in Nashville). He doesn't want her to join the sorority but she feels that she must, in honor of her late mother.
Unfortunately, Chanel (Emma Roberts) is in charge and she is just plain nasty. She is rich and spoiled but also deeply lonely. she doesn't even name her posse, simply calling them Chanel #2 (Ariana Grande), Chanel #3 (Billie Lourd, daughter of none other than Carrie Fisher) and Chanel #5 (Abigail Breslin). She doesn't like non-pretty or non-white people.
The Dean of the college, Kathy (Jamie Lee Curtis) hates sororities but she probably has a horrible secret and the security on that campus is just plain awful, especially after the murders keep happening. Chanel #2 is not long for this world and then a deaf recruit's head is run over. This is only after Chanel murders the overweight cleaning lady whom she is beyond cruel to. The sisters hide the body only to have it disappear. Grace is horrified and even teams with the suspicious Pete (Diego Boneto) to expose the group for what they truly are. Pete's secret is that he is also the school mascot, which happens to be the red devil, so Grace doesn't trust him at the moment, fearing he is behind the killings and with those creepy looks on his face, he just might be.
The characters in this show are utterly ridiculous. Lea Michele is just plain odd, but effective as Hester who is obsessed with death and wears a neck brace. When Chanel calls her a sociopath, she takes it as a compliment. Keke Palmer steals scenes as Zayday, who always has something great to say, including how crazy her grandmother is. Glen Powell is Chanel's on again, off again boyfriend, Chad who is a necrophiliac and a useless idiot. Also, he must have some messed up mommy issues because he sleeps with Kathy, which is just gross and she hates herself for it.
Nick Jonas guest stars as Boone who is sort of secretly gay but he is killed by the devil only as it turns out, he isn't. He is in the morgue, grateful that the red devil rescues him and he peels off the scar on his neck.
Now, some of the twists I saw coming, like when Kathy hit on Grace's father but he proved to be far more interested in Kappa's former member and now lawyer, Gigi (Nasim Pedrad) while others I could have never seen coming, like Boone turning out to be gay and then faking his own death. Why would he do that? What does he have to prove?
And that college campus is horrible. After the one girl is beheaded, they don't search the house which is a good thing because Chanel #2's body is still in the house, soaking in her own blood. Thank goodness this is only a TV show. Fortunately, the set is great, with Chanel's huge closet and stylized clothes and the acting is brilliant. The show has creepy camera angles and you don't know where it is going to head. I can't believe the pilot 'killed' off four characters. But yes, it is funny. It probably shouldn't be as death isn't funny. Yet, I laughed several times. It just happened. You should check it out. Grade: B+
The main setting is the house of the Kappa Kappa Tau and it begins in 1995 with the first murder mystery of the show. During a huge house party, a girl gives birth in a bathtub without realizing she was pregnant. Instead of getting her help right away, they continue to enjoy the party but when they come back, she is dead, having bled out. What happens to the baby? Does anyone actually know?
Fast forward to the present. Grace Gardner (Skyler Samuels) is starting college much to the chagrin of her overprotective father (Oliver Hudson, much nicer and more attractive than he ever was in Nashville). He doesn't want her to join the sorority but she feels that she must, in honor of her late mother.
Unfortunately, Chanel (Emma Roberts) is in charge and she is just plain nasty. She is rich and spoiled but also deeply lonely. she doesn't even name her posse, simply calling them Chanel #2 (Ariana Grande), Chanel #3 (Billie Lourd, daughter of none other than Carrie Fisher) and Chanel #5 (Abigail Breslin). She doesn't like non-pretty or non-white people.
The Dean of the college, Kathy (Jamie Lee Curtis) hates sororities but she probably has a horrible secret and the security on that campus is just plain awful, especially after the murders keep happening. Chanel #2 is not long for this world and then a deaf recruit's head is run over. This is only after Chanel murders the overweight cleaning lady whom she is beyond cruel to. The sisters hide the body only to have it disappear. Grace is horrified and even teams with the suspicious Pete (Diego Boneto) to expose the group for what they truly are. Pete's secret is that he is also the school mascot, which happens to be the red devil, so Grace doesn't trust him at the moment, fearing he is behind the killings and with those creepy looks on his face, he just might be.
The characters in this show are utterly ridiculous. Lea Michele is just plain odd, but effective as Hester who is obsessed with death and wears a neck brace. When Chanel calls her a sociopath, she takes it as a compliment. Keke Palmer steals scenes as Zayday, who always has something great to say, including how crazy her grandmother is. Glen Powell is Chanel's on again, off again boyfriend, Chad who is a necrophiliac and a useless idiot. Also, he must have some messed up mommy issues because he sleeps with Kathy, which is just gross and she hates herself for it.
Nick Jonas guest stars as Boone who is sort of secretly gay but he is killed by the devil only as it turns out, he isn't. He is in the morgue, grateful that the red devil rescues him and he peels off the scar on his neck.
Now, some of the twists I saw coming, like when Kathy hit on Grace's father but he proved to be far more interested in Kappa's former member and now lawyer, Gigi (Nasim Pedrad) while others I could have never seen coming, like Boone turning out to be gay and then faking his own death. Why would he do that? What does he have to prove?
And that college campus is horrible. After the one girl is beheaded, they don't search the house which is a good thing because Chanel #2's body is still in the house, soaking in her own blood. Thank goodness this is only a TV show. Fortunately, the set is great, with Chanel's huge closet and stylized clothes and the acting is brilliant. The show has creepy camera angles and you don't know where it is going to head. I can't believe the pilot 'killed' off four characters. But yes, it is funny. It probably shouldn't be as death isn't funny. Yet, I laughed several times. It just happened. You should check it out. Grade: B+
Friday, September 25, 2015
The Intern
Robert De Niro is a great actor. He has been doing great work for decades and earned both of his Oscars and each of his seven nominations and probably should have won more than he did. Here, however, despite his top billing, the film belongs to Anne Hathaway.
Anne Hathaway is not Miranda Preistley. She is Jules Ostin. She started a company, About the Fit, just eighteen months before this film began and business is booming, they have already hit their five year goal. But her investors want a more seasoned CEO but Jules isn't hot about the idea. Robert De Niro stays appropriately mum on the issue. He is, after all, just the intern, Ben Whitaker. Sick of retirement, he wants to get back out there and though Jules was rather reluctant, he won her over. He's organized, helpful and loves staying busy and learning new stuff. Plus, he has experience that should not be taken for granted. He urges a younger co-worker, Jason (Adam Devine) to actually apologize in person, rather than just send a million texts or emails to the girl he likes but ruined things with before they even began.
Ben saves Jules from getting into her car just after her driver drank from his flask and is willing to fly to San Francisco so she can meet a potential CEO.
There is more to this film than can a woman have it all? Jules's husband, Matt (Anders Holm) gave up his own promising career to become a stay-at-home dad to their young daughter. Jules is a great mom, though the other moms inform her that she can just buy something for a school event because they know she won't have time to make it from scratch because she's just too busy. Unfortunately, Matt feels left out as her business takes up so much of her time, so he steps out on her. Ben catches him and struggles with this knowledge. Fortunately, before he has to break Jules's heart, she admits it to him. She caught some naughty texts on Matt's phone. But she wants to work the whole thing out though she is devastated. Ben doesn't think that things are fixable.
Jules hires the CEO that said all the right things but Ben urges her not to do that just so her marriage can be saved because it isn't right. No one knows the company like she does and no one else will have her attention to details. Even her husband admits that he messed up big time and promises that he will be better. Hopefully he will be.
Should have Ben have confined in Jules about her husband? Anne Hathaway's Andi had done that in The Devil Wears Prada despite Miranda already knowing, here the tables are turned. Jules already knew and came out with the information. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer for that. Your friend could potentially become furious regardless of when you reveal the information.
Jules is also fortunately nothing like Miranda. She is laid back, barely has time to eat, rides her bike throughout the office so she can get some exercise, but she always put together. Her clothes are to die for. She works hard, and tries to appreciate her employees though her personal assistant, Becky (Christina Scherer) sometimes feels left out. I just don't get why everyone was warning Ben that Jules was so hard to work with.
There are the over the top moments, like when Ben and some of other interns break into Jules's parent's house to retrieve her mom's laptop because Jules accidentally sent a nasty email to her mother, and one of the sad reasons why Jules wants to stay with Matt is so she isn't buried alone. Yikes. Robert De Niro can't believe he's the feminist in the film. You won't believe it either, but he is.
Thank goodness this film contains solid performances all around, not just from Hathaway and De Niro but the supporting players are also great, Rene Russo and Linda Lavin as De Niro's love interests and Andrew Rannells, playing someone different from his usual, as Jules's right hand man at the company. The film is also great to look at. However, Jules's home and Ben's home could be on the same street, they look so similar. Whatever.
Most of this film won't stay with you long, but it was enjoyable. Grade: B
Anne Hathaway is not Miranda Preistley. She is Jules Ostin. She started a company, About the Fit, just eighteen months before this film began and business is booming, they have already hit their five year goal. But her investors want a more seasoned CEO but Jules isn't hot about the idea. Robert De Niro stays appropriately mum on the issue. He is, after all, just the intern, Ben Whitaker. Sick of retirement, he wants to get back out there and though Jules was rather reluctant, he won her over. He's organized, helpful and loves staying busy and learning new stuff. Plus, he has experience that should not be taken for granted. He urges a younger co-worker, Jason (Adam Devine) to actually apologize in person, rather than just send a million texts or emails to the girl he likes but ruined things with before they even began.
Ben saves Jules from getting into her car just after her driver drank from his flask and is willing to fly to San Francisco so she can meet a potential CEO.
There is more to this film than can a woman have it all? Jules's husband, Matt (Anders Holm) gave up his own promising career to become a stay-at-home dad to their young daughter. Jules is a great mom, though the other moms inform her that she can just buy something for a school event because they know she won't have time to make it from scratch because she's just too busy. Unfortunately, Matt feels left out as her business takes up so much of her time, so he steps out on her. Ben catches him and struggles with this knowledge. Fortunately, before he has to break Jules's heart, she admits it to him. She caught some naughty texts on Matt's phone. But she wants to work the whole thing out though she is devastated. Ben doesn't think that things are fixable.
Jules hires the CEO that said all the right things but Ben urges her not to do that just so her marriage can be saved because it isn't right. No one knows the company like she does and no one else will have her attention to details. Even her husband admits that he messed up big time and promises that he will be better. Hopefully he will be.
Should have Ben have confined in Jules about her husband? Anne Hathaway's Andi had done that in The Devil Wears Prada despite Miranda already knowing, here the tables are turned. Jules already knew and came out with the information. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer for that. Your friend could potentially become furious regardless of when you reveal the information.
Jules is also fortunately nothing like Miranda. She is laid back, barely has time to eat, rides her bike throughout the office so she can get some exercise, but she always put together. Her clothes are to die for. She works hard, and tries to appreciate her employees though her personal assistant, Becky (Christina Scherer) sometimes feels left out. I just don't get why everyone was warning Ben that Jules was so hard to work with.
There are the over the top moments, like when Ben and some of other interns break into Jules's parent's house to retrieve her mom's laptop because Jules accidentally sent a nasty email to her mother, and one of the sad reasons why Jules wants to stay with Matt is so she isn't buried alone. Yikes. Robert De Niro can't believe he's the feminist in the film. You won't believe it either, but he is.
Thank goodness this film contains solid performances all around, not just from Hathaway and De Niro but the supporting players are also great, Rene Russo and Linda Lavin as De Niro's love interests and Andrew Rannells, playing someone different from his usual, as Jules's right hand man at the company. The film is also great to look at. However, Jules's home and Ben's home could be on the same street, they look so similar. Whatever.
Most of this film won't stay with you long, but it was enjoyable. Grade: B
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Middle: Not Your Brother's Drop Off
Well, Sue (Eden Sher) is finally going off to college and Frankie (Patricia Heaton) has to feign the tears. She feels nothing about her only daughter leaving for college. Fortunately, she at least feels bad that she isn't sad. Frankie wonders if it is because Sue is the second kid or if all the emotions will hit her at once, later.
Sue, on the other hand, is overly prepared for college and even started packing in June. Mike (Neil Flynn) also spent the whole summer teaching her life lessons, including balancing the checkbook, tying all sorts of knots, and the changing the car tire.
Sue, of course, wants her drop off to be perfect, and even has a scrapbook that declares it to be an iconic moment so then it must be so. Axl (Charlie McDermott) is being his usual jerk self and doesn't even want to go but he is going, that is Mike's final word.
Sue has so much stuff that two cars must be taken which means Axl has no choice but to drive. Sue has walkie talkies so the two cars can communicate with the other which drives Axl beyond crazy and he decides to pass the main car but he drives so fast that some of Sue's crap falls off the car which means that the lead car gets a flat tire and Mike forces Sue to change it all by herself and she doesn't perform well under pressure. It takes forever as both cars have to be unpacked because the spare tire happens to be in Axl's car and then it nearly rolls away from Sue in one of the show's funniest bits. While Sue is busy attempting to fix the car, Frankie begs Mike to just help his daughter and how her life turned out just fine even though she never learned how to change a tire and Mike calls her bluff on all her emotions, or lack thereof. The new tire doesn't work which means that they need to call a mechanic and Sue gets to practice her other new skill of balancing the checkbook before continuing the journey. This time, she is in Axl's car with Brick (Atticus Shaffer) while Mike and Frankie are in the lead car by themselves. Frankie finally gets emotional when she says that of course she will miss Sue because Sue was such a huge part of her life for the last eighteen years but how exciting everything is when Sue is totally looking forward to college and how she will Sue up the world and how glad she is that she gets a front row seat to the whole thing. After this, Sue gets super emotional and asks that Frankie give the walkie talkie to Mike. She informs him that even though it is difficult for him to tell her that he loves her, it isn't hard for her so she tells Mike she loves him and Mike just says yep and returns the device to Frankie.
Fortunately, they arrive at Sue's dorm room and it takes them three whole hours to unpack everything because Sue brought a lot of crap before the good byes. Unfortunately, the show ends badly with Sue sitting alone in her extremely cute dorm room waiting for her roommate to arrive. It was a great episode and I was disappointed that it didn't end better. It should have ended with Mike and Frankie still on the couch thrilled that they are empty nesters before Brick declares that he is still here.
This show was mostly great, with some great performances all around, I just wish it had ended on a better note, but it was funny and typical of the Hecks for something simple to spiral out of control.
Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Brick doesn't have much of a plot line but he has started the eighth grade and loves that he no longer needs a pass to go to the bathroom which means that he is reading tons there. His girlfriend, Cindy (Casey Burke) also wants to take that relationship to the next level and he agrees but he has no idea where the relationship currently is so how can he move it up?
-He even foolishly asks Axl for advice which doesn't go well because, according to Axl, relationships have forty levels in American and sixty plus in Europe. So who knows where that will go, but Brick is determined to make this the year of him.
-Sue's week before college is horrible. Frankie purchased a cheap garage sale curling iron which burns off some of Sue's hair forcing her to eventually cut the rest of it off giving her compliments all around, even Axl says that she looks less bad than before. High praise from him.
-I really wish Axl would wear pants sometimes.
-Mike really hammers in the life lessons. Two funny bits including Sue balancing the checkbook but believing she had done it wrong because it equaled minus eleven dollars but Mike assured her that that was right. He also taught her how to defend herself if someone tried to steal her purse. She did well because he limped to bed. Yeah, that was great. Unfortunately, Mike will never admit how much he truly does love Sue.
-The best callback was when Frankie admits that she must be a great actress or else she would have never gotten cast in the local production of The Wizard of Oz.
Sue, on the other hand, is overly prepared for college and even started packing in June. Mike (Neil Flynn) also spent the whole summer teaching her life lessons, including balancing the checkbook, tying all sorts of knots, and the changing the car tire.
Sue, of course, wants her drop off to be perfect, and even has a scrapbook that declares it to be an iconic moment so then it must be so. Axl (Charlie McDermott) is being his usual jerk self and doesn't even want to go but he is going, that is Mike's final word.
Sue has so much stuff that two cars must be taken which means Axl has no choice but to drive. Sue has walkie talkies so the two cars can communicate with the other which drives Axl beyond crazy and he decides to pass the main car but he drives so fast that some of Sue's crap falls off the car which means that the lead car gets a flat tire and Mike forces Sue to change it all by herself and she doesn't perform well under pressure. It takes forever as both cars have to be unpacked because the spare tire happens to be in Axl's car and then it nearly rolls away from Sue in one of the show's funniest bits. While Sue is busy attempting to fix the car, Frankie begs Mike to just help his daughter and how her life turned out just fine even though she never learned how to change a tire and Mike calls her bluff on all her emotions, or lack thereof. The new tire doesn't work which means that they need to call a mechanic and Sue gets to practice her other new skill of balancing the checkbook before continuing the journey. This time, she is in Axl's car with Brick (Atticus Shaffer) while Mike and Frankie are in the lead car by themselves. Frankie finally gets emotional when she says that of course she will miss Sue because Sue was such a huge part of her life for the last eighteen years but how exciting everything is when Sue is totally looking forward to college and how she will Sue up the world and how glad she is that she gets a front row seat to the whole thing. After this, Sue gets super emotional and asks that Frankie give the walkie talkie to Mike. She informs him that even though it is difficult for him to tell her that he loves her, it isn't hard for her so she tells Mike she loves him and Mike just says yep and returns the device to Frankie.
Fortunately, they arrive at Sue's dorm room and it takes them three whole hours to unpack everything because Sue brought a lot of crap before the good byes. Unfortunately, the show ends badly with Sue sitting alone in her extremely cute dorm room waiting for her roommate to arrive. It was a great episode and I was disappointed that it didn't end better. It should have ended with Mike and Frankie still on the couch thrilled that they are empty nesters before Brick declares that he is still here.
This show was mostly great, with some great performances all around, I just wish it had ended on a better note, but it was funny and typical of the Hecks for something simple to spiral out of control.
Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Brick doesn't have much of a plot line but he has started the eighth grade and loves that he no longer needs a pass to go to the bathroom which means that he is reading tons there. His girlfriend, Cindy (Casey Burke) also wants to take that relationship to the next level and he agrees but he has no idea where the relationship currently is so how can he move it up?
-He even foolishly asks Axl for advice which doesn't go well because, according to Axl, relationships have forty levels in American and sixty plus in Europe. So who knows where that will go, but Brick is determined to make this the year of him.
-Sue's week before college is horrible. Frankie purchased a cheap garage sale curling iron which burns off some of Sue's hair forcing her to eventually cut the rest of it off giving her compliments all around, even Axl says that she looks less bad than before. High praise from him.
-I really wish Axl would wear pants sometimes.
-Mike really hammers in the life lessons. Two funny bits including Sue balancing the checkbook but believing she had done it wrong because it equaled minus eleven dollars but Mike assured her that that was right. He also taught her how to defend herself if someone tried to steal her purse. She did well because he limped to bed. Yeah, that was great. Unfortunately, Mike will never admit how much he truly does love Sue.
-The best callback was when Frankie admits that she must be a great actress or else she would have never gotten cast in the local production of The Wizard of Oz.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Life in Pieces: Pilot
Matt Short (Thomas Sadowski) is having a very bad first date. Colleen (Angelique Cabral, better in Enlisted) actually wants to have sex with him but they can't find a proper location. At her place, there is her ex-fiance, Chad (Jordan Peele) who can't afford to leave and she can't afford to buy him out; at his, there are his parents, overly kind and sweet but awkward. They try to have sex in his car, but a police officer stops them, believing Colleen to be a stripper. Yeah, horribly awkward.
Younger brother Greg (Colin Hanks) is having issues of his own. Sure, his wife, Jen (Zoe Lister-Jones) just had a beautiful, healthy baby girl but having this baby means they can't have sex for six weeks, something neither anticipated. Yeah, that plot line is stupid and horrible with two good actors wasted.
Then we get to oldest sister, Heather (Betsy Brandt from the good but short-lived The Michael J. Fox Show) and her husband, Tim (Dan Bakkedahl) getting ready for their son to go off to college. All of their children are growing up, the middle daughter just matured and their youngest, overly smart daughter learns the truth about Santa Claus. And yet, they still want another one though Tim isn't sure if everything will still work so that moment is lost.
John (James Brolin) has the stupidest idea ever, instead of the traditional birthday party, he throws himself a funeral complete with eulogies. Horrible idea. The only laughs, for me at least, came from when John got locked inside the casket to the dismay of his wife, Joan (Dianne Wiest).
This show should be good, but it isn't. The plot lines are pretty stupid and the cast, though great, is far too large for a simple half an hour sitcom. Though I am far from a fan of Modern Family, the show at least flows better while this just seems chunky and choppy. The characters need to interact more and each plot line needs to blend with the others. Grade: B-
Younger brother Greg (Colin Hanks) is having issues of his own. Sure, his wife, Jen (Zoe Lister-Jones) just had a beautiful, healthy baby girl but having this baby means they can't have sex for six weeks, something neither anticipated. Yeah, that plot line is stupid and horrible with two good actors wasted.
Then we get to oldest sister, Heather (Betsy Brandt from the good but short-lived The Michael J. Fox Show) and her husband, Tim (Dan Bakkedahl) getting ready for their son to go off to college. All of their children are growing up, the middle daughter just matured and their youngest, overly smart daughter learns the truth about Santa Claus. And yet, they still want another one though Tim isn't sure if everything will still work so that moment is lost.
John (James Brolin) has the stupidest idea ever, instead of the traditional birthday party, he throws himself a funeral complete with eulogies. Horrible idea. The only laughs, for me at least, came from when John got locked inside the casket to the dismay of his wife, Joan (Dianne Wiest).
This show should be good, but it isn't. The plot lines are pretty stupid and the cast, though great, is far too large for a simple half an hour sitcom. Though I am far from a fan of Modern Family, the show at least flows better while this just seems chunky and choppy. The characters need to interact more and each plot line needs to blend with the others. Grade: B-
Saturday, September 12, 2015
The Sapphires (2013)
This film is about a group rarely shown, cast or even discussed in films: the Aboriginals of Australia. Now, the film has several plot holes, some of which are gaping, but they are only a problem if you worry about them.
In 1968, three sisters and their stolen cousin reunite and journey to Vietnam to entertain the troops fighting there. Dave Lovelace (Chris O'Dowd) is the one who 'discovers' them. In reality, sure he is the one who believes that they have great talent but Julie (Jessica Mauboy) is the one who wants to became famous and urges him to manager them so they can go to Vietnam. Gail (Deborah Mailman), the oldest and mother hen of the group, believes that she is too young, plus, she also has a young son to consider. Despite this, her father and grandmother allow her to run away and join the group in Melbourne, much to the dismay of the mother. Kay (Shari Stebbens) also joins them, probably because she is bored more than anything else. Gail isn't exactly thrilled to see her because for the past ten years, she has been raised to believe that she (Kay) is white, as the Australian government did back them. They later get into a pretty bad fight because Gail feels that it is her fault Kay was taken in the first place. She can't forgive herself for the event and Kay for how she treated the family at her mother's funeral. The remaining sister, Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) has some minor plots including the fact that her fiance dumped her at the alter and she has a minor drinking problem.
Of course, despite the extreme prickliness of the relationship, we know that Dave and Gail are going to get together and they do, but Dave is also married, unhappily, for the record and Gail does give him a hard time about it, though not as long as you would have thought. She is truly a great character and without a doubt the best, most developed character of the film.
There are also the elements of war to consider and Dave does nearly die as the camp is ambushed. Gail and the rest of the group (named The Sapphires on the spur of the moment because their actual name is not pronounceable by any non-Aboriginals) believe him to be dead but fortunately, that proves not the be the case.
Now, to the problems, after nearly dying, the girls return home but it isn't until the film ends when you find out what happened. Despite the film implying that Julie was on the brink of truly becoming famous, that doesn't happen. The credits say that each of the real life counterparts helped fight to get more rights for the Aboriginals, certainly a good cause. That is the biggest problem, but also, why does Cynthia develop a drinking problem and how does she recover from it, does Kay end up with Robby (Tory Kittles), the American soldier she had been dating, and how does the friendship truly heal between Gail and Kay? None of these get answered, but somehow Gail and Kay are on great terms by the end of the film, while the other two do not. We never know if the girls return to Vietnam where they are a big hit to entertain some more.
Despite these holes, the film is still largely enjoyable; it is a war film but almost a family friendly, tidied up version of the nasty war. The girls are extremely talented both as singers and actresses, even the minor roles are well done. The scenery is pretty good though the ambush scene is slightly hokey. Nevertheless, the film is still solid and a film that should have had a wider release in America and one that you surely should check out, you won't be disappointed. Grade: B+
In 1968, three sisters and their stolen cousin reunite and journey to Vietnam to entertain the troops fighting there. Dave Lovelace (Chris O'Dowd) is the one who 'discovers' them. In reality, sure he is the one who believes that they have great talent but Julie (Jessica Mauboy) is the one who wants to became famous and urges him to manager them so they can go to Vietnam. Gail (Deborah Mailman), the oldest and mother hen of the group, believes that she is too young, plus, she also has a young son to consider. Despite this, her father and grandmother allow her to run away and join the group in Melbourne, much to the dismay of the mother. Kay (Shari Stebbens) also joins them, probably because she is bored more than anything else. Gail isn't exactly thrilled to see her because for the past ten years, she has been raised to believe that she (Kay) is white, as the Australian government did back them. They later get into a pretty bad fight because Gail feels that it is her fault Kay was taken in the first place. She can't forgive herself for the event and Kay for how she treated the family at her mother's funeral. The remaining sister, Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) has some minor plots including the fact that her fiance dumped her at the alter and she has a minor drinking problem.
Of course, despite the extreme prickliness of the relationship, we know that Dave and Gail are going to get together and they do, but Dave is also married, unhappily, for the record and Gail does give him a hard time about it, though not as long as you would have thought. She is truly a great character and without a doubt the best, most developed character of the film.
There are also the elements of war to consider and Dave does nearly die as the camp is ambushed. Gail and the rest of the group (named The Sapphires on the spur of the moment because their actual name is not pronounceable by any non-Aboriginals) believe him to be dead but fortunately, that proves not the be the case.
Now, to the problems, after nearly dying, the girls return home but it isn't until the film ends when you find out what happened. Despite the film implying that Julie was on the brink of truly becoming famous, that doesn't happen. The credits say that each of the real life counterparts helped fight to get more rights for the Aboriginals, certainly a good cause. That is the biggest problem, but also, why does Cynthia develop a drinking problem and how does she recover from it, does Kay end up with Robby (Tory Kittles), the American soldier she had been dating, and how does the friendship truly heal between Gail and Kay? None of these get answered, but somehow Gail and Kay are on great terms by the end of the film, while the other two do not. We never know if the girls return to Vietnam where they are a big hit to entertain some more.
Despite these holes, the film is still largely enjoyable; it is a war film but almost a family friendly, tidied up version of the nasty war. The girls are extremely talented both as singers and actresses, even the minor roles are well done. The scenery is pretty good though the ambush scene is slightly hokey. Nevertheless, the film is still solid and a film that should have had a wider release in America and one that you surely should check out, you won't be disappointed. Grade: B+
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