Regia: Todd Graff
Sceneggiatura: Todd Graff, John A. Cagan
Attori: Gaelan Connell, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Lisa Kudrow, Alyson Michalka, Charlie Saxton, Tim Jo, Scott Porter, Ryan Donowho, Elvy Yost, Lisa Chung, David Bowie Ruoli ed Interpreti

Fotografia: Eric Steelberg
Montaggio: John Gilbert
Produzione: Goldsmith-Thomas Productions, Summit Entertainment, Walden Media
Distribuzione: Eagle Pictures
Paese: USA 2009
Uscita Cinema: 25/09/2009
Genere: Commedia, Musicale
Durata: 111 Min

Trama:
Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) è un giovane introverso e sognatore con la testa piena di musica. Quando sua madre Karen (Lisa Kudrow) ottiene un nuovo lavoro nel New Jersey, Will è costretto a cambiare città e scuola. Nel nuovo liceo tutto sembra uguale tranne il fatto che il rock’n roll domina. Will finisce per fare amicizia con Sam (Vanessa Hudgens), una outsider come lui. Con loro grande sorpresa, un giorno la ragazza più popolare della scuola, Charlotte (Aly Michalka) recluta entrambi per formare una band e partecipare al “Bandslam”, una ambita competizione musicale di band.(Tratto da comingsoon)

Estreias da última sexta-feira:

Uma Prova de Amor: A pequena Anna (Abigail Breslin) não é doente, mas bem que poderia estar. Por 13 anos, ela foi submetida a inúmeras consultas médias, cirurgias e transfusões para que sua irmã mais velha, Kate (Sofia Vassilieva), pudesse, de alguma forma, lutar contra a leucemia que a atingiu ainda na infância. Anna foi concebida para que sua medula óssea prorrogasse os anos de vida de Kate, papel que ela nunca contestou… Até agora. Tal como a maioria dos adolescentes, ela está começa a questionar quem realmente é. Mas, ao contrário da maioria dos adolescentes, ela sempre teve sua vida definida de acordo com as necessidades da irmã. Então, Anna toma uma decisão que seria impensável para a maioria, uma atitude que abalará sua família e, talvez, tenha terríveis consequências para a irmã que ela tanto ama.

EUA, 2009. Direção: Nick Cassavetes. Elenco: Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin, Abigail Breslin. Duração: 120 min. Drama – 12 anos.

Falando Grego: Uma americana de origem grega, que trabalha como guia turística acompanhando viajantes pela Grécia, vive entediada, uma vez que os grupos de turistas parecem curtir mais as compras de camisetas do que aprender alguma coisa sobre história. Esse choque de personalidades e culturas deixa a situação da jovem cada vez pior. Até um dia em que aparece um turista muito especial, o senhor Irv Gordon. É ele quem vai mostrar a ela as possibilidades de viver de forma feliz, aconselhando a moça a prestar atenção naquele que Georgia jamais imaginaria que pudesse se apaixonar: o grego e sexy motorista de ônibus Poupi.

EUA/ESP, 2009. Direção: Donald Petrie. Elenco: Nia Vardalos , Richard Dreyfuss , Alexis Georgoulis , Alistair McGowan , Harland Williams. Duração: 95 min. Comédia Romântica – Livre.

High School Band: Will Burton se mudou recentemente para Nova Jersey. Logo em seus primeiros dias na nova escola ele conhece Sam, tímida e introvertida, e Charlotte Banks, descolada e popular. Ao revelar seu conhecimento sobre música, Will é convidado para gerenciar a nova banda de rock formada por Charlotte. O objetivo é fazer com que o grupo vença a batalha de bandas da cidade, o Bandslam. A partir de então a vida de Will muda drasticamente, já que deixa de ser visto como um perdedor pelos colegas de escola.

EUA, 2009. Direção: Todd Graff. Elenco: Alyson Michalka , Vanessa Anne Hudgens , Gaelan Connell , Scott Porter , Ryan Donowho. Duração: 111 min. Comédia – Livre.

Caro Senhor Horten: Odd Horten (Baard Owe) é um maquinista de 67 anos que, prestes a se aposentar, resolve fazer uma viagem pelo interior da Noruega. Só que, pela primeira vez em 40 anos, ele se atrasa e não chega a tempo de sua última partida.

FRA/ALE/NOR, 2007. Direção: Bent Humer. Elenco: Baard Owe , Espen Skjonberg , Ghita Norby , Henny Moan , Bjorn Floberg. Duração: 90 min. Comédia – Livre. Estreia somente em SP.

WILL BURTON (Gaelan Connell) is used to being bullied or completely ignored by his schoolmates, so when cool and popular former cheerleader CHARLOTTE BANKS (Alyson Michalka) starts inviting him to hang out with her, the quirky teenager is stunned and so is his doting single mom KAREN (Lisa Kudrow). Impressed by his eclectic knowledge of music, Charlotte, a gifted singer-songwriter, asks Will to manage her fledgling rock band. The goal: go head to head against her egotistical musician ex-boyfriend BEN (Ben Wheatley) at a regional battle-of-the-bands.

Unsure of what he’s getting himself into, Will agrees to help Charlotte’s off-beat trio, eventually expanding it with a crew of like-minded outcasts. Against all odds, the group’s sound starts to come together and their prospects for success look bright. Even more amazingly, Will’s loser status finally seems to be a thing of the past; he even has a potential romance brewing with a kindred spirit named SAM (Vanessa Hudgens), a classmate with untapped musical talents. But when Charlotte is faced with a family tragedy, she suddenly breaks off her friendship with Will and quits the band, leaving their competition chances in tatters. With Will’s new-found self-confidence on the ropes and the contest almost upon them, he and the band must choose whether to admit defeat or face the music and stand up for what they believe in.

In the small town of Dillon, Texas, one night matters: Friday Night. Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) has recently been hired as the head football coach for the Dillon High School Panthers, the town’s pride and joy. Friday Night Lights displays the stress that the town gives the high school players to win, and the hope that the team gives to a small town, and how a team has its low points, its high points, and how they come together as a team on their way to victory.

Episode 01: Pilot
It is pretty much the very short version of the movie with same name. But nevertheless the right pilot for a great series. Because it shows from the beginning, what you have to expect from it: real and authentic drama, great and likable characters. The documentary character of the show sets the rest – shot on location, hand camera, interview style (at the beginning). The cast is wonderful, the characters feel real, the setting is real, the soundtrack is great, the storytelling is wonderful. But the pilot has the problem to jump directly into the story without introducing the characters properly. And a few people who don’t know anything about football could be disappointed, because the last third only is football.
But for me, it is a great start to one of the best network TV shows after The West Wing ended. 9/10

Episode 02: Eyes Wide Open
Not as good as the first episode, but still a high level screenplay and high level actors and characters. The conflict between Tim (Taylor Kitsch) and Smash (Gaius Charles) is very interesting, but Tim’s relationship with Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) is somehow not existent enough in the first episodes, so it is not really believable. Matt (Zach Gilford) had a great character development in this one: He is working, taking care of his grandmother, almost doing everything on his own. And now he struggles being QB1, but he is a really nice and emotional character and Zach Gilford is perfect for this role. 8/10

Episode 03: Wind Sprints
The Panthers are losing the game and two people got the blame: Matt, although he played a good game, and the coach. And it is quite interesting how both are handling it. Some great character development with great actors (I could say that after every episode). The Jason/Lyla (Scott Porter and Minka Kelly) relationship and Tim’s feelings of guilt are a bit stereotype, but it is okay, because it all feels real. Just the kiss between Lyla and Tim may be a little bit too much – that stinks for drama.
But it was a good episode and we did see Voodoo (Aldis Hodge) for the first time. 7,5/10

Episode 04: Who’s Your Daddy
A good episode, nothing really much happened. ‘Vodoo’ was just third row, Lyla and Tim are loving each other. But the main storyline belonged to Matt. He against Voodoo as QB1, Matt against Arnett’s QB1, Matt and Julie (Aimee Teegarden), Matt and Coach Taylor, Matt and his grandma (Louanne Stephens), Matt and is father. A lot of character development for him, which was very welcomed, because he is a really likable character. Shy, not much of a people person, but he makes jokes, before he gets beaten up. 7,5/10

Episode 05: Git ‘Er Done
A good episode with some unused story. ‘Voodoo’ Tatum has so much potential as a character and he is just a guest character – a real shame. Tyra gets her own little love story in this episode with the start and the end of it; Jason gets back into sports real slow, thanks to Herc (Kevin Rankin) and the Panthers, especially the coach, have a big game coming up. Interesting how the Dillon folks react after the win. And more interesting is the “cliffhanger” of the episode. Another storyline with a big potential. The rest was as usual – good for the episode, but played very well. 7,5/10

Episode 06: El Accidente
Another good episode with some average story arcs. Jason finally knows about Tim and Lyla, the friendship between the three short before breaking. Matt with remorse telling the coach the truth and his really slow growing relationship with Julie. And then the whole situation with Voodoo, which isn’t really good now, because it didn’t take much time in the episode, just a few scenes. The episode arc was boring and a bit stereotype, it shows even in FNL that football players are the “kings” in high school – at least it was a storyline for just one episode, so forget about it real fast. 7/10

Episode 07: Homecoming
One of the better episode of this season. Even a show like Friday Night Lights has a homecoming episode and Jason’s return onto the fields of the “battle place” was really good and emotional. Even the side plot (Tyra and Billy [Derek Phillips] throwing a party and an old QB is looking for a job) were good and not useless. Only the relationship between Matt and Julie could be told a little bit faster, this story rested in this episode. 8,5/10

Episode 08: Crossing the Line
A wonderful episode with some great character moments and scenes. Lyla/Tim/Jason – okay, this story is total stereotype, but I don’t care when the actors are really great in performing their characters, which is the case here. Lyla’s little breakdown beneath Tami (Connie Britton): wonderful played. Jason’s little heater with Tim at the end: wonderful played and totally realistic. I just don’t understand why Tyra was interested in Tim for that day. I don’t think that was a necessary part for a big story. At least the Riggins boys fight was great executed – no fists, just a realistic fight of two brothers who can’t stand each other for a few minutes… I totally liked that scene.
The date question and Taylor’s talk with Julie were cute and brought some smiling moments into the episode. Only Smash’s story was a bit too much and over the top. So suddenly he tries to save his future with drugs? I don’t like that story and fortunately it was on for just a few episodes. 8,5/10

Episode 09: Full Hearts
A good episode, which gave Smash some good character moments and a little look into his past. It was nice to learn more about him. And it shows once more that Gaius Charles is one of the great younger actors in this time.
The stories with Tim and Lyla is really good as well, I just feel sorry about them. But you can kind of understand the others. The date/not date of Matt and Julie was also cute and wonderful executed. Not just that Julie saw some real Matt, we saw some real good acting and writing in this episode. Because even the guest characters have some great talents. Smash’s mother, Matt’s grandma – if they are in the center of the scene for just a few minutes, they are totally breathtaking. 7,5/10

Episode 10: It’s Different For Girls
Another solid FNL episode and I quite like the fact that the stories don’t concentrate much on football, but the characters. The whole drama about Lyla is just excellent. Stereotype, but still very good written and played. And with a really nice ending. Lyla has her pride back and another little chance to get back with Jason, who gets back to his old life, step by step.
I have just one problem with this episode: Why isn’t Coach Taylor trusting his daughter with Matt? He one told Tami that Matt is a good boy, and now he wants to not bring them together? This looks like a cheap plot device to lengthen the relationship between Matt and Julie and put some stones on their way. 7,5/10

Episode 11: Nevermind
And another real good episode. This time we see a lot of Matt and the family drama around him. The scene at the end where he is sitting with the coach was just awesome played (once more, FNL has the luck to have one of the best TV casts of all time). But I have a little problem with Jason: Why wants he to be with Lyla again all of a sudden, after her little adventure with Tim? But his new story (the upcoming lawsuit) is very interesting and could trouble the coach in future episodes. 8/10

Episode 12: What To Do While You’re Waiting
A good episode, but nothing really much happened. Just a whole episode with the question if the Panthers are going to the playoffs and a lot of really great character drama. I loved Tyra and her mother in this episode. Especially the scene in which Tyra throws her mother’s abusive boyfriend out of the house. There was such authentic power behind that scene, it gave me goosebumps. Smash in love is kind of cute and it is nice to see that he has to work for something besides football. But I don’t know what to make of the lawsuit story, because I know it brings absolutely nothing – not for the involved characters, not for the on-going story. It only shows that Jason is now at the brink of the “likability” of Dillon – he suits the Panthers, he is no more friend of the town. Maybe it would be better to show more about that and Jason’s trouble about that problem, but so it is just lame. And Matt and Julie coming more and more together – for the both you have to be a shipper, they are a really cute couple. 7,5/10

Episode 13: Little Girl, I Wanna Marry You
An average episode with nice stories here and there. After I missed Smash’s drug story in the last episode, it came up back here and this time with more drama. But the lawsuit story is gone now, for good – without a proper conclusion btw, but I don’t care about a lost story, when this one was actually a bad and/or boring one. The departure of Matt’s dad was heartwarming; though he only was a guest character, his last scene was a bit of a tear breaker, Brent Smiga showed some great acting skills. I just don’t like Jason’s proposal to Lyla – for what? And I really can’t get Jason’s love for her, especially after what she did. It is not believable enough for me. 6,5/10

Episode 14: Upping the Ante
Every major player of Dillon gets his own storyline eventually, this time it is Tim Riggins and his quest for a signature from his estranged father. Not that I needed this storyline and it was kind of useless, but it was good. The rest of the episode was a bit over average; except for the storyline around Smash, everything was not interesting enough to keep up my interests. It was obvious that Matt and Julie have their first couple problems (and they kind of aren’t together yet) and it was obvious that Jason’s proposal was not really serious for the story. 6/10

Episode 15: Blinders
Race as a big topic in a football drama – for sure, black players versus white players. If there’s time, writers can pull off this story. And it was pretty interesting. Not too much, not too silly. And it gives another view of Smash, so short after the problems he had with the coach. And he makes new ones. Even the rest of the episode, especially the Powerpuff game, was really interesting and very good. And it was nice to see that Julie has a lot of knowledge about the plays of her father, I didn’t know before that she eventually had some interests in football – or she wouldn’t know the play. Maybe Tami’s “conference” was a bit too stereotype; obvious that the students are hacking each other after a short while… 8/10

Episode 16: Black Eyes and Broken Hearts
Another really good episode. McGill’s (Blue Deckert) words have some real bad aftermath, with Smash and his buddies kind of quitting the team and giving the coach a real hard time. And it gives Blue Deckert the first real chance to give his character more deeper lines. Like I said before, if there is one of the guest characters in the front row of the story, they are having a blast. Great acting and a really great story.
And finally this episode is the start of the Landry (Jesse Plemons)/Tyra story and Matt and Julie are now officially a couple (that took some time). I wished to see more about the aftermaths of the game, there was some real potential in it. But it was just like the athletic guy said: “I call the game. Dillon wins.” – very short. But I don’t know what to make of the scene with the police, that was kind of bull. 8/10

Episode 17: I Think We Should Have Sex
Not only that the title sentence, spoken by Julie, was kind of a surprise, Matt still calls Tami “Miss Coach” – that is really funny. And Tami seeing Matt buying condoms was a bit stereotype, but I don’t care when this was the beginning of a great mother/daughter scene, which is probably the best scene in FNL so far. The whole story around Julie and her parents was really interesting; the story was totally stereotype and you can probably see it in all teen drama series, but here you have some authentic and real acting, which makes this episode a highlight of family scenes in network shows. Tami’s face when Julie came home in the middle of the night: This is material for the Golden Globe!
Only one story was lame though: Tim and his father (Brett Cullen). For what reason took Tim the beating after all? Well, at least Walt is gone now, he was kind of boring in the story… 8,5/10

Episode 18: Extended Families
Another good episode. Less football (the Panthers went to the semifinals before the intro), lots of character drama. I loved the situation of Tyra’s mom (Merrilee McCommas), even if it was uninteresting at the beginning and brought nothing to the major characters. But it showed that Tami is a great character, loving, caring, sentimental.
The story with Smash and Waverly (Aasha Davis) is boring, because I don’t like her character, I don’t know why. Maybe too uninteresting. Buddy’s (Brad Leland) drama is more interesting though, it gets Lyla more in the center again. Oh yeah, Lyla and Jason… It is over very soon. And the coach getting a new job offer: the season finale is prepared an it promises some drama in the Taylor family the next episodes. Julie won’t leave Dillon (interesting, she wanted to in the beginning), Buddy won’t let Taylor go and the rest of the crew… I don’t know. And then Tim befriends with the little neighbor boy and the writers prepare a little love story for him. It’s nice. 7,5/10

Episode 19: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Another good episode with another good character drama. Tim and his neighbor mother is just cute, it gives a whole different side on the character of Tim and I like it. He even makes final peace with Jason and both are on “Texas forever” again. The little training session in the nigh shows some great friendship between the big Dillon players. Taylor’s little takes with Julie was awesome, too. Another great scene for Aimee Teegarden, where she can show her acting abilities, even she is just sitting around. Only Jason’s story is a bit uninteresting: That he won’t be part of the rugby team was obvious, so no thrill about tat; that he is making out with Suzy (Alexandra Holden), was obvious as well, so no thrill in here, too. Buddy’s storyline is great, though. I loved the scene, where his wife screamed at him and Lyla afterwards was pissed as well. Great acting. 7,5/10

Episode 20: Mud Bowl
A wonderful episode. Football is in the center of the story again and it is an unusual game. The episode would be better, if the game had more thrill.
I didn’t think that the lawsuit would come up again, I thought it was already done, and it was a shitty storyline. Fortunately the scene was short and the story was over real fast. But it brings Jason back to the Panthers. After he “coached” Saracen in the last episode, I hope he takes the “job offer” from the coach. The story about searching for another field to play on was very interesting, but I wished to see more about the players building this field with their own hands.
I don’t understand why the writers put the story about the money in Mat’s locker in the episode. I never saw the meaning of it. But Tyra’s “almost raped” story: wow. There is a source for a lot of character development, especially the relationship between Landry and Tyra. 8,5/10

Episode 21: Best Laid Plans
A good episode. A finale before the finale – without football. The story with Tyra and Landry was the interesting one, even though their relationship still isn’t settled. But I loved Landry’s struggle about telling somebody about the assault. It makes him more of a real character and not just a funny line he was before. Suzy and Jason was alright. It was obvious that she will be the reason why he and Lyla are breaking up for good and that she will be the reason why Jason and Lyla will be other persons next season. So, she is just a little plot device, but I like Alexandra Holden. And the coach accepted the offer from TMU and his family is not really appreciated by that… very interesting, because there was a high possibility that he will take the offer in the season finale. But I am a little bit sad that the relationship between Jackie (Brooke Langton) and Tim is now over, even though I saw it coming. 8/10

Episode 22: State
The best finale for the season. The Panthers win state (they should have lost it, it would be a great story opener for the second season), Tami is pregnant (nice twist, Taylor is going to Austin now and his wife is pregnant…), the team learns about coach’s department (and they don’t take it very well, especially Matt, who seems really shocked) and almost all of the main characters had their little cliffhanger.
Even though the game was totally stereotype (the Panthers took some serious hits in the first half, losing 0-26, and coming back in the second half, winning the game), I loved coach’s speech during half time. How he spoke about the loved ones of the players and the camera showed every single one of them sitting (or staying) in the stadium, hoping that a miracle will happen. It was nice to see Voodoo back, finally he has found his team, where he is loved and so on (LOL).
You can see it that way that this episode might be the right series finale. Panthers win State, Taylor’s job is “done”. Jason and Lyla are over for good, bot can start new. Tyra might be good again, after what happened to her, and the relationship with Landry is growing – at least they have a friendship now. Maybe there wasn’t even one cliffhanger. Just one question: Are we seeing Eric Taylor next season?
8/10

Season average is 7,75. I love this show. Currently one of my top 3 favorite TV shows. I have the second and third season here as well, so I can rewatch it right now. But for now I have to finish some shows which are rotting in my schedule right now.

Por Roberto Camargo

Corra Speed! Corra!

Primeiramente, peço perdão aos fãs da série original, pois nunca assisti a um episódio sequer do piloto e seu lendário Mach 5. O que pude fazer foram pesquisas sobre o famoso anime da década de 60, antes de escrever essa crítica. Logo, vou me ater a comentar o filme, sem muitas comparações com o desenho.

Os irmãos Wachowski, as mentes que nos entregaram Matrix (as duas sequências não são tão dignas de nota), retornaram às telonas com o longa Speed Racer. E junto ao filme, vieram novas abstrações de Larry e Andy. Para começar, o mundo das corridas idealizado pelos diretores é uma experiência psicodélica e surrealista. Cores quentes e vivas que parecem se movimentar dão o tom de velocidade. Os carros e pistas são totalmente inventivos – mas fiéis aos desenhos de Tatsuo Yoshida. As personagens são caricaturas, com destaque para o núcleo de humor, protagonizado pelo simpático Gorducho (o desconhecido Paulie Litt), irmão mais novo de Speed, e seu chimpanzé Chim Chim.

O figurino também ultrapassa a linha do real e parece ser muito forçado – tudo dentro do universo de Speed. Mas o maior diferencial da fita são os truques utilizados pelos diretores. Aí vai a receita: coloca-se um ator real em primeiro plano e o fundo da imagem é preenchido por conteúdo 2D. A manobra dos Wachowski é uma clara homenagem ao desenho original. Além disso, utilizam-se de um recurso pouco comum. Ao invés de fazer cortes na passagem de uma cena para outra, a transição é feita através do movimento do rosto em close de alguma personagem, arrastando consigo o próximo plano. Sim, é bastante confuso de se ler. Mas entenda como um tipo de encadeamento de imagens. Ou vá logo assistir ao filme!

A história – sim, ainda há uma história – começa na infância do protagonista, Speed Racer (sim, seu nome de verdade é Speed, interpretado por Emile Hirsch), quando seu irmão mais velho, Rex Racer (Scott Porter), é um grande piloto de corrida, arrojado e campeão. Após a morte do irmão, o filme salta para o futuro e mostra Speed numa jornada para se igualar a Rex. O rapaz mostra talento no volante aliado à coragem e instinto, o que fez com que vencesse uma corrida e despertasse o interesse de grandes escuderias.

A Royalton oferece ao jovem uma proposta tentadora, mas ele recusa, provando lealdade à montadora de seu pai (John Goodman), a Racers Motors. Contrariado, o dono da Royalton resolve provar que o mundo das corridas é, e sempre foi, uma grande armação, um verdadeiro jogo de bastidores. A partir daí, a missão de Speed é lutar contra as gigantes montadoras, vencer o Grand Prix e mostrar a todos que uma corrida se vence na pista e não nos bastidores.

O roteiro não é o grande trunfo da película. Diversas pistas durante a trama deixam claro seu desenlace. No entanto, o conjunto geral resulta num bom filme. No elenco, nota para Susan Sarandon, como a mãe do herói, e Christina Ricci, como Trixie, a namorada do rapaz. E curiosidade para os brasileiros: a Petrobrás faz uma ponta no longa!  

Speed Racer é por vezes engraçado, futurista ou emocionante, mas sempre simpático. Um programa para toda a família, além, é claro, para amantes do entretenimento – como eu.

Direção: Larry e Andy Wachowski
Gênero: Ação/Comédia/Esporte
Duração: 135 minutos
Elenco: Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, Scott Porter, Roger Allam, Richard Roundtree.

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Press Release from the Saturn Awards – 6/29/09

It was a stellar evening for “The Dark Knight” as the Christopher Nolan film garnered five Saturn Awards at the 35th Annual Saturn Awards. The film was named Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film. The Warner Bros. release also received awards for Best Writing: Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan, Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, Best Music: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, and Best Special Effects.

Also receiving multiple Saturn Awards were “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Iron Man” which won three Saturn Awards apiece.

“Battlestar Galactica” proved to be the most decorated series of the evening with three Saturn Awards including Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series, Best Actor on Television: Edward James Olmos, and Best Actress on Television: Mary McDonnell. “Lost” received the Saturn Award for Best Network Series. Show co-creator, J.J. Abrams accepted the award on stage.

The highlight at the awards ceremony were the special awards presented throughout the evening. Actor Lance Henriksen received the Life Career Award for his strong body of work in film and television. Actor Ed Harris presented the award to Henriksen on stage.

DreamWorks Animation studio head, Jeffrey Katzenberg, was awarded the inaugural Visionary Award for his efforts in advancing 3D film presentation. Top filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer presented this prestigious award to Mr. Katzenberg at the event.

Genre icon Leonard Nimoy was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in film and television which covers five decades. Mostly known for his portrayal of the Vulcan, Mr. Spock, Leonard’s accomplishment extend to many more projects including the series, Mission Impossible, Columbo, and the recent show, Fringe. Presenting the award was top filmmaker J.J. Abrams, who recently directed the hit film, Star Trek, for Paramount Pictures.

Many genre leaders were in attendance including: Michael Emerson and Mark Pellegrino (from Lost), Zachary Levi, Justin Hartley, Kevin Feige, Jack Coleman, Cristine Rose and Adrian Pasdar (from Heroes), Scott Porter, Ann Robinson, Sean Faris, Carlos Bernard (24), Kristin Bell, Andrea Roth, Casper Van Dien, Kevin Sorbo, Jim Parsons & Simon Helberg (from The Big Bang Theory), Larry Cohen, Frank Darabont, Greg Cannom, Michael Biehn, Jennifer Carpenter, Dean Devlin, Edward James Olmos, Tom DeSanto, Vince Gilligan, Aaron Paul (from Breaking Bad), James Newton Howard, and Hans Zimmer. This year’s reception was hosted by Entertainment Weekly. The Afterparty was sponsored by Highlander Films.

The 35th Annual Saturn Awards were presented by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, a non-profit organization created in 1972 to honor, recognize and promote genre entertainment. The Academy was founded by noted film historian, Dr. Donald A. Reed, who passed away in 2001. Robert Holguin currently serves as President of the Academy. Mark Altman is Co-President of the Saturn Awards.

Best Science Fiction Film:
IRON MAN

Best Fantasy Film:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Best Horror Film:
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film:
THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Actor:
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR.
(Iron Man)

Best Actress:
ANGELINA JOLIE
(Changeling)

Best Supporting Actor:
HEATH LEDGER
(The Dark Knight)

Best Supporting Actress:
TILDA SWINTON
(The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Best Performance by a Younger Actor:
JADEN CHRISTOPHER SMITH
(The Day the Earth Stood Still)

Best Director:
JON FAVREAU
(Iron Man)

Best Writer:
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN and JONATHAN NOLAN (The Dark Knight)

Best Music:
HANS ZIMMER and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD (The Dark Knight)

Best Costume:
MARY ZOPHRES
(Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)

Best Make-Up:
GREG CANNOM
(The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

Best Special Effects:
NICK DAVIS, CHRIS CORBOULD, TIMOTHY WEBBER, PAUL J. FRANKLIN
(The Dark Knight)

Best International Film:
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

Best Animated Film:
WALL-E

Best Television Series:
LOST

Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

Best Presentation on Television:
THE LIBRARIAN: THE CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE

Best Actor on Television:
EDWARD JAMES OLMOS
(Battlestar Galactica)

Best Actress on Television:
MARY MCDONNELL
(Battlestar Galactica)

Best Supporting Actor on Television:
ADRIAN PASDAR
(Heroes)

Best Supporting Actress on Televison:
JENNIFER CARPENTER
(Dexter)

Guest Starring Role on Television:
JIMMY SMITS
(Dexter)

Best DVD Release:
JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER

Best DVD Special Edition Release:
STEPHEN KING’S THE MIST (2 disc Special Edition)

Best DVD Classic Film Release:
PSYCHO (Universal Legacy Series)

Best DVD Collection:
THE GODFATHER-THE COPPOLA RESTORATION

Best Series on DVD:
MOONLIGHT

Best Retro Series on DVD:
THE INVADERS

The Life Career Award:
LANCE HENRIKSEN

The Lifetime Achievement Award:
LEONARD NIMOY

The Visionary Award:
JEFFREY KATZENBERG

Friday Night Lights

Here are the confirmed names for the best show on television’s new season: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Jesse Plemons, Taylor Kitsch, Aimee Teegarden and Jeremy Sumpter. Plus, expect Adrianne Palicki, Minka Kelly and Zach Gilford to be back for their farewell arcs like Gaius Charles’ and Scott Porter’s last season.

Scrubs

As you should know by now, next season will transfer to med school, making teachers out of John C. McGinley’s Dr. Cox and Donald Faison’s Turk. And, as you probably also know, a quartet of med students will be the new cast additions, and while three of them are to be relatively unknown-ish actors, producers wanted a big name for the fourth one… and the name being thrown around is…

LAUREN GRAHAM! Yes, I died with joy when I first heard it, too.

Ugly Betty

Daniel Eric Gold, who plays Betty’s Matt, will indeed be returning next season, and as a series regular at that. However, don’t expect the two to get back together immediately, cause producers are getting someone lovable and blue collarish to be Matt’s newest obstacle.

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 01/27/2009 Run time: 89 minutes Rating: Ur

An attractive cast of young performers lead by Brittany Snow (Hairspray) is the main selling point for Prom Night, a remake of the 1980 Canadian slasher film starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Snow makes for a capable lead as the sole survivor of her family’s massacre at the hands of an obsessed teacher (Jonathan Schaech), who returns three years later to finish his campaign on the eve of her senior prom. While no one’s idea of a classic horror film, the Paul Lynch-directed Prom Night offered viewers a modest whodunit angle in between the killings; here, the villain’s identity is known from the get-go, and what’s left is a string of mechanical stalkings (which feature a surprisingly modest amount of blood) and reams of turgid teenspeak, which is handled as best as possible by Snow and her cast mates. The end result is a dull, suspense-free chiller that manages to make its mediocre source material seem inspired by comparison. Older moviegoers may note the presence of actors Idris Elba and James Ransone, both used so well on The Wire, and so thoroughly wasted here. –Paul Gaita

Prom Night (Unrated) is available at Amazon for $17.49. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• What Happens in Vegas (Widescreen Edition)
• The Happening
• Street Kings
• Incredible Hulk (Widescreen Edition)
• 21 (Single-Disc Edition)

Mientras que Marvel no hace más que planificar y poner fechas para sus proyectos, los chicos de DC todavía no saben qué hacer. Entre sus proyectos se encuentran “Wonder Woman”,”Super Max”, “Superman”, “Flash”, “Green Lantern” y la tercera de Batman, siendo estos dos últimos los que más avanzados se encuentran. Salvo el de Batman, el resto carece totalmente de reparto, y lo que hay son rumores y más rumores, como el que nos llega hoy, de dos posibles actores para encarnar a Flash.

La web ThinkMcFlyThink apunta a que el actor Scott Porter (serie “Friday Night Lights“) es uno de los candidatos. A muchos le sonará ese nombre ya que el actor también sonó para ser Superman en la versión de “Justice League” que iba a realizar George Miller (proyecto que tras la salida de Miller está casi totalmente paralizado).

Sin embargo, desde Screen Rant afirman que Neil Patrick Harris (el increíble Barney en “How I Met Your Mother”) es otro de los candidatos para enfundarse las mayas rojas.

Nuevamente estamos ante simples rumores de reparto, pero lo que sí sabemos es que Chris Brancato, David S. Goyer, Dan Mazeau y Craig Wright están trabajando en el guión de la película, que supuestamente va a dirigir David Dobkin, aunque coger esta información con alfileres porque nada hay confirmado.

Fuente: Blog de Superheroes

Prom Night

Maybe I’m getting too old for these kinds of flicks. It really seems geared towards the teenage moviegoers. Pretty people, stylish clothes, good music. Sadly the movie is missing the plot.

3 years ago Donna’s (Brittany Snow) family was killed by her former teacher, Richard Fenton (Johnathan Schaech) while she hid under her bed. This has led to her being in therapy and having terrible nightmares. Donna now lives with her aunt and uncle and has graduated from high school. It’s prom night and she’s headed there with her boyfriend Bobby (Scott Porter) and their friends, Lisa (Dana Davis) and her boyfriend Ronnie (Collins Pennie) and Claire (Jessica Stroup) and her boyfriend Michael (Kelly Blatz).

What follows is mindless, over the top and boring. The killer, Richard, has escaped from prison and is headed to the prom as well. He sneaks into the hotel and begins to kill Donna’s friends one by one. Some of the things he pulls off are way too unbelievable even for me. No matter how many people he stabs to death, he never gets a drop of blood on him. His ability to hide a body in less time than it takes to make a coffee is incredible. This guy could make millions training other would be killers.

Why I subjected myself to this film is beyond me. The killings are basically a series of stabbings and a slasher flick with a lack of blood seems to defeat the purpose. The fact that the killer can pull off so many things in such a small amount of time is just way over the top and took me out of the film. I wouldn’t recommend anyone watch this one, it might only inspire other bad slasher flicks like this.

Under the marquee – Will

Pour les fans de Friday Night Lights qui trainent dans le coin, et qui n’auraient pas croisés la route de la photo…

We had a chance to stop by Fila’s West Coast launch of their new “Melrose” — a collaboration with iconic sneaker purveyor Sportie L.A. The three high tops feature 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material in custom print and color panels in combinations of Lilac, Teal, Silver, Crocus and Blues.

They threw the party on Thursday, Dec. 10 at Sunset Mansion in West Hollywood (the view from the balcony was amazing!).

On hand to toast the launch were Joel Madden, who DJed for the evening wearing his vintage-style Fila track jacket (while gf Nicole Richie handed out gift bags in the downstairs VIP area; we were on the wrong side of that velvet rope, unfortch), Audrina Patridge, Cee-Lo, and Friday Night Lights‘ Aimee Teegarden and Scott Porter.

Buy: Melrose shoes available exclusively at Sportie LA, $100, sportiela.com.

More: See the images of the other two colorways after the cut…

And the revelers:

(images courtesy of Fila)

“New York, New York”

November 19th, 2008

[NOTE: I go into what might be considered spoiler territory before the fold (it just worked out that way), so if you're waiting until Spring and don't want to know anything scroll away now! Hope this warning works - MM]

When Smash Williams received his swan song on Friday Night Lights, we ended that episode on an image of Smash’s face, smiling of pride (and his justifiably reinflated ego). It was a moment where you couldn’t help but feel like there was pride in his success, hope for his future, and that small tinge of disappointment that he was exiting our narrative and entering into another part of his life that doesn’t involve Dillon, Texas.

But for what will be Scott Porter’s last episode portraying Jason Street, we do not end on a shot of an admittedly fantastic Porter after pouring his heart out to Erin. Rather, we end on a shot of Tim Riggins, one that (for me) was far more emotionally affective. What is so amazing about Porter’s performance, and the character of Street as a whole, is that what could have been a hokey period after that pilot developed into someone who can serve as emotional and inspirational anchors for this series. While watching Smash succeed was satisfying, watching Jason grow into a man and a provider (even when the means were highly suspect) feels like the kind of story this show was born to tell: a story about a kid who was supposed to be on the path to greatness proving that, even when the terms changed, he never left that path.

And when we cut to Tim Riggins, of all people, overcome by emotion at the sight of Jason Street’s final moment, we realize that within both the show’s universe and our own, it doesn’t get much better than this.

I was worried about getting too spoiler-y above the fold, but it is pretty well common knowledge that Smash and Street were only on contract for a few episodes this year, at least amongst fans of the show. That resulted in what are probably quite rushed happy endings, sequences of events that required a lot of convenient copper wire thefts, convenient friends of Herc’s who buy copper wire, conveniently well done work on a house, conveniently quick offer, conveniently timed visit from sports agent, etc. We can officially add conveniently available entry-level position and conveniently personal friend of Jason’s whose employment could save a small sports agency to the list, which when you think of it in succession is a whole lot for four episodes to handle.

However, can anyone honestly say they were thinking about any of that when Jason rolled up to Erin’s doorstep and poured his soul out to her? Or, as noted, when Tim Riggins was overcome with emotion? Part of what made the second season of Friday Night Lights so frustrated is that the contrived and forced storylines felt like a dark cloud over the rest of the show: while there were some moments of genuine emotion, even related to the murder, there was always that reminder of where it came from, and how that went beyond the level of reality we were willing to accept. There never appeared to be a way out, a time when all of that would be forgiven in favour of focusing on the positives. The only time we ever got to that point was when Eric threw Matt Saracen, spiraling out of control due to his tryst with his Grandmother’s nurse, into a cold shower; that felt like the kind of highly emotionally powerful storyline that for once justified Taylor’s betrayal of the Panthers, Matt’s falling out with Julie, and everything else that took place in that season.

There can’t be enough said about Scott Porter’s work here, and the show will miss his versatility; while this episode was capable of being inspiring (and highly frustrating, albeit in what I’d consider to be realistic ways), I don’t know if there’s anyone who can pull this off like he can. While his final moments might have been disconnected, off in New York with only Riggins to react, Street as a character touched a lot of people, and the one point of potential contrivance that felt more natural than it was was seeing the people (like Wendell, and like Buddy) who were willing to change their minds for him. While Jason is right that many people only remember him for the chair, I think that Porter did a tremendous job of emphasizing those moments where he goes beyond pity to the point of inspiration – sure, it involves a little bit of overselling (he wasn’t on his way home when he went to see Wendell, but it sure made for a better story), but in the end I believe that Jason Street is exactly as he sold Graham to Wendell: someone who, when push comes to shove, will work as hard as he can in as unselfish a way as possible.

Saying goodbye to Jason and Smash means that we’re now waiting to see how the show resolves the high school football careers of Tim Riggins and Matt Saracen. As far as the former goes, we were missing a scene this week wherein Riggins asks for time away from the team to help Jason get to New York (I’d imagine there’s something on the cutting room floor, at the script stage at the very least), so Riggins’ football destiny was put on hold (rightfully) for him to be the one to get to say goodbye to Street in person. Saracen, meanwhile, has a very logical (and well-played) turn that deals with a suddenly emerging question: at what point, in his final year, does it make sense to keep him on the bench when he is obviously better at playing wide receiver than those suddenly incompetent wide receivers that dominate the Panthers lineup.

Now, Taylor is right to note that risking an injury to Matt is a serious problem, and he has no choice (despite having to put up appearances) but to hedge his bets considering how green J.D. McCoy really is and how much he wants to be able to rely on Matt being there to back him up. On the other hand, this is Matt’s last chance here, and the show has remained coy (while discussing the fates of its graduated characters) about what exactly they plan for Matt Saracen. When his grandmother involved, and with his Mother around, Saracen’s future remains murky: will his ties to family keep him in Dillon (plus, is Julie graduating? Or has the various age cheats the show has employed since the first season made them the same age?), or will he actually have a shot at advancing within football?

I have a feeling that the latter may be a bit of a stretch – while Matt is a gritty quarterback with whom we as viewers and Coach Taylor have a strong emotional attachment, I don’t know if he’d catch the eye of any major colleges. Right now, obviously, the show isn’t thinking of this, but considering that it might actually be good to let Matt play in his final games, to help the Panthers make their way to the playoffs and find their footing. Perhaps my favourite scene, balancing humour and sentiment, was that great sequence of his Coach challenging him (at the dinner table) to 10 passes. It was such a small scene: no big crowd, no false drama, just a heightened sense that this is a highly complicated relationship between a coach and his QB2. By the time we got to that tenth pass, I was as into it as I was into most of the actual football game activities (absent in this episode), which I think tells you something about the strengths the series can bring to the table.

At the same time, of course, we have that brilliant final scene as Eric asks Tami for some ice, as quietly as possible, after acknowledging that the last pass was garbage (it was, no one could have caught that without some sort of supersonic speed). It was a note that this relationship isn’t just that tense, authoritative stare: he was pushing his own physical ability to act like this was such a tense situation, having to balance that authority with the fact that he genuinely cares for the kid. While we got some great Saracen work early in terms of his mother’s arrival, he’s taken a back seat to both Smash and Street in terms of broad storylines (and even Riggins got his College future storyline started earlier). I have to feel like that is oncoming soon, and I look forward to it: Zach Gilford is just too darn good at this.

However, the other storyline is a far more pressing concern, and one that leaves me honestly quite anxious if not wholly surprised. We have known from the past that Tyra Colette is not good with patience, nor rejection. She is being raised in an environment where she was essentially instructed to hold onto her college application-paying cowboy for the rest of her life (not, in fact, sound advice considering what we know about Cash), and despite Tami’s best efforts it is beginning to colour how she looks at the college application process. Tyra is that dangerous combination of impulsive and malleable, trusting of too many people and took quick to move that trust at a moment’s notice. When Tami essentially gives her that “You didn’t do great, but consider it a learning experience” speech after her college interview (which was, not coincidentally, weak thanks to finding out that Cash wouldn’t commit to being faithful to her while on the road), you can see Tyra suddenly viewing her path to college as a much longer road.

And while this is no doubt frustrating (as many of Tyra’s actions, from her hateful “Look in the mirror, Landry” dumping to her decision to take Cash back in the first place, are), I think that it’s natural in this situation. So much of this season has been about people who, leaving Dillon, are faced with difficult roads to success. And while the show’s portrayal of Street’s romantic ascension is more than a bit unrealistic, I think it works to have this storyline being painfully without such idealistic conclusions. The fact is that not all of these kids can have happy endings, and Tyra in particular is going to take a particularly rocky road if she’s going to do so. Her path can’t be easy: it would be as much of a contrivance, consistency wise, as Street’s whirlwind ride in New York, and it wouldn’t feel right to me.

The episode was pretty wide ranging overall, to be honest, as we even got the continued impact of the McCoy family on the Taylor household. Mac’s timely cardiac event means that Wade (J.D.’s QB Coach) becomes a fox in the henhouse for McCoy and the Boosters’ interests, while Mrs. McCoy plants into Tami’s head the idea that a recent foreclosure would make a perfect dream home for the couple despite being entirely outside their price range. In both situations, Eric and Tami had to remember that they operate as part of teams, both in terms of their marriage and in Eric’s case as part of the Panthers organization. That sense of solidarity is what drives them both, so I am very interested to know to what degree this will be continued to be tested.

Even that storyline, though, had that great moment where they stopped and Coach offered the question of what happens if he loses his job (which seems like something that should be considered a real possibility considering how finicky the boosters are), and for that matter what happens if Tami (who has made some controversial decisions as principal, loses her own position? While I don’t foresee this scenario happening, this entire episode reminds us that the future is very unclear, and that there are numerous points of change and transition that we still have to address even with the departures of the two characters closest to that goal. Combine that impending situation with the fantastic work by Porter here, and this was a very strong episode of the series.

Cultural Observations

• I like that we aren’t seeing a long, protracted discussion of Matt and Julie’s new relationship – while there will need to be some quiet moments spent with these two to understand where their relationship sits at this point, the normalcy of it all is kind of reassuring in and of it self.
• I find it somewhat clever that the arcs for Smash and Street both mirrored real football: after three episodes of struggle, they got their fourth down hail mary and they took it. They call it a “Three and Out” in football terms, but that’s only if they have to punt on fourth down: that clearly wasn’t an option for these two.
• This episode was missing Landry, but after a couple of weeks of sort of rough Landry storylines, I think it’s for the best. I just want to make sure, though, that if this is actually the show’s final season I need them to give us some more great Landry/Saracen friendship moments before it rides off into the sunset.

“Keeping Up Appearances”

November 12th, 2008

One of the concerns I’ve had with the most recent set of episodes in Friday Night Lights’ third season is that the behind-the-scenes planning is becoming fairly transparent: it feels like things are happening that are in fact predictable, and in some cases feel less like organic character development and more like pieces being moved on a chess board. Last week, though, everything moved in the right direction: even if it was predictable, it felt totally in character, and like the proper culmination to the storylines set up over this season and last season, for that matter.

What doesn’t work in “Keeping Up Appearances,” however, is that none of it felt natural: every storyline had an element to it that felt artificial. Whether it was in order to rush Jason Street to a happy ending, or introduce a potential character for a reboot-driven fourth season, or push Tim Riggins into college, everything felt dialed in on that purpose. And in an episode all about selling (house, people, football, etc.), I feel like the show was all too willing to show us, their audience, that they had a (somewhat) shameless agenda on the table.

The one storyline that is working right now is working because we have a vested interest in it – Jason Street’s future matters to us, and this episode is a reflection of that. When he is fighting with Herc in the backyard during their open house, you feel his pain and empathize with his position. When Billy asks him what he could do to help Riggins get into college, you can tell that even with his healthy dose of realism Street still cares about football – by the time he gets back on the field taping him, we’re remembering everything that he used to be, and feeling like the game of football is where he truly belongs.

The issue is that all of this feels natural, and when Jason happens to have a conversation with a sports agent who transitioned into the job because his arm wasn’t good enough, it feels like the show is rushing what should happen over a longer period of time. The show’s insistence on Smash and Street both going four and out (or perhaps five, in Street’s case) is creating a situation where they’re going through the motions: while Smash’s final moments and his various scenes with Coach Taylor were inspirational and powerful thanks to our connection with the character, it was a bit convenient. Now, with a storyline even more improbable, the writers are repeating the same pattern.

It’s not a terrible pattern, by any means: it was perfect for Lyla to be the one in whom Street confides his desire to be a sports agent and move to New York, for example, because she was a huge part of his past and these two characters needed a final moment. And it feels natural that we’re getting a Jason Street who is finding a way to rekindle his love of football while still being able to support his family. He’s shown in the past few episodes his ability to get himself a loan, to get Buddy to sign off on selling the house, etc. – these skills are actually fairly transferrable into the world of sports agency, so I think that’s a solid connection.

In the end, though, it’s just a bit far-fetched – while Smash was still competitive as a player and had only an injury and motivational deficiencies to overcome, thus meaning that only Coach’s risky play to get him on the field for a tryout was really our only stretching of the truth, here it required a domino effect. For Jason to become a sports agent in only one or two episodes is actually impossible, but the show has already knocked off a few barriers too easily: while some of Jason’s battles felt earned, the offer on the house feels a bit like a fairy tale. It creates a fear, for me, that they’ll push this further and have Jason get a job when he really has no non-inherent qualifications/education, and I don’t think that does the show or Jason any favours.

Deciding what note to leave Jason on is going to be a tough question, and one that I hope they show more restraint with. I think that they’ve established well enough in this episode Jason’s knowledge of football and, over the last few episodes, his ability to sell himself and his situation, that they could leave him in New York, struggling to even work as an assistant in a sports agency office, and I’d feel like he got the ending he deserves. Forcing it any further, though, doesn’t make sense, and I hope they don’t go that route.

We’re starting to see something similar happening with Tim Riggins, as the video they’re setting up to send out to schools is starting to shape up. Ever since the letter was dropped in the premiere, it was clear that Riggins’ happy ending was likely forthcoming: the guy has been through a lot, and I think it would make sense if the unsung heroes of the Dillon team (Riggins and, absent in this episode, Saracen) got their own success at the end of the day. This was another part of the episode that worked well, primarily Billy’s concern for his little brother – while sometimes their relationship can feel repetitive (their trip to steal copper wire especially fell into their pattern), I like this side of Billy that’s honestly emotional about having raised his little brother, and I like the Riggins’ overall path.

The rest of the episode, though, lacked that ethos – the show hasn’t spent enough time for us to accept the repetitive and one-dimensional villification of Joe McCoy, which represented a step back from the previous episode. One week after we got our first look at the new quarterback, this week was the exact opposite: we got a rather sudden escalation of public yelling that, because we don’t really get another view into their family dynamic without the Taylors being present, we don’t see as a result of J.D.’s alcohol intake but rather the writers feeling they needed to up the ante. The show has developed a shorthand for some of its characters, and it works because we know them so well: here, we don’t know these characters well enough for them to do it, and the result is a storyline that never hits like it could had they shown us more. While Jeremy Sumpter finally got to act last week, this week he’s back to being a non-entity in the shadow of his father.

There’s been some rumblings throughout the season that J.D. is being built slowly in an effort to make him a potential star for the show’s fourth season, as unlikely as that might seem (or as likely as it seems considering NBC’s now dwindling lineup with the cancellation of My Worst Enemy and Lipstick Jungle), and I buy that – most of the players are graduating, so it will be necessary for them to leave some wiggle room for themselves should they get picked up (which won’t be known until the season completes its run on NBC). I can’t think of any other reasons than this, then, that we got the story of before now unknown Jamarkus, who sets girls’ hair on fire and lied to his parents about playing football.

Two things here: first off, how aloof are his parents exactly that they never know where their son is? What about road games? What about practices, Friday night games, parties, etc.? Has he never once been out to the mall with his Mother and had someone mention football to him? It’s a really cheap storytelling tool, and it is wrapped up much too quickly within the context of the episode. Yes, by episode’s end we feel for Jamarkus and are pleased that he performs well in the game, but it was a rushed and forced introduction to a character designed to make it so that they could flesh him out in the future, if necessary.

All of these situations are about tough sells: Street selling himself to the world, Billy selling Tim to Colleges, J.D. selling himself to his father, and then the Taylors (in a very cute scene where Tami feels mighty proud of her talking up of her husband) selling football to Jamarkus’ parents. While I didn’t quite feel any of them were without their contrivances, the other two storylines felt even more pointless. Landry’s girl problems, although hilariously explained and dissected in his discussion with Tami, aren’t all that interesting: that he’s self-destructive with the opposite sex isn’t news, and for him to fall for his new lesbian bassist didn’t seem necessary to building that side of his character. She’s not a great actress, clearly hired for her musical abilities, and that side of the storyline works: her charming performance of The Flaming Lips’ “She Don’t Use Jelly” was one of the episode’s highlights. But when it asks her to be something more, it felt cheap: and Friday Night Lights should avoid that particular adjective.

We’re now at the halfway point of the season, and one could express some concern at this point with a couple of early misfires – however, the episode just didn’t deal with where the real drama was. Street will be out of the way soon enough, and while losing Scott Porter’s fantastic acting is a bit of a bummer I think it will open up some room to expand on other storylines. For now, I remain optimistic about this season’s strengths outweighing weaknesses, at least for now.

Cultural Observations

• So was there any point to Buddy Garrity’s big storyline with his kids? Brad Leland is as good as ever, but unless this was a last sendoff for the character it seemed like a waste of time. The idea of football as a transformative property for his bratty kids visiting from Northern California rang false, unless it had come more full circle with Buddy’s discussion with Lyla being more about how football is his entire life, and the only thing he’s good at (it’s true). Buddy the Booster is the character we might eventually need to say goodbye to, so hopefully this wasn’t an attempt at a potential last hurrah.
• The lack of Saracen and Julie in this episode is frustrating after their big moment in the last episode – it’s another way Street is slowing down some storylines, although I think it’ll work out as long as next week spends some time on our former QB1.

“It Ain’t Easy Being J.D. McCoy”

November 5th, 2008

In our new era of highly serialized television, we have vilified predictability. We want to be shocked, surprised, knocked off our feet by revelations and swept up in complex storylines that twist and turn every which way. However, evidence shows that execution becomes a much larger concern when one gets caught up in walking off the beaten path: look at what has happened to a show like Heroes, one that is so obsessed with being unpredictable that a lack of logic has become, well, predictable.

So when I say that Friday Night Lights’ third season has been preditable, I don’t want you to look at it as something with negative connotations, at least not entirely. See, I won’t argue that predictable can be bad: last week’s episode of Friday Night Lights, even, was predictable to a fault, retreading old storylines that were not all that interesting to begin with. I speak more of the fact that, now almost halfway through the shortened 13-episode season, I don’t feel as if anything has snuck up and surprised me yet.

But do we really need to be surprised when a show is operating at such a high level? While the various events of this week’s episode have been long foreshadowed by the show’s trajectory, the payoff was exactly what we were looking for; the fact that I “called” the character of J.D. McCoy during his silence of early episodes does not mean I didn’t enjoy seeing it, and the sheer inevitability of the episode’s romantic climax was handled with such grace that it’s yet another powerful emotional moment for a season that’s had more than a few.

The real surprise for Friday Night Lights these days is that it isn’t trying to surprise us, and yet here I am sucked in more than ever; I just hope that, considering the show’s past attempts to surprise us with homicide, they’re content with dramatically satisfying predictability and don’t feel the need to shake the boat too much.

I have been convinced from the very beginning that there was no way the show was going to portray J.D. McCoy as anything but an oppressed, soft-spoken, socially inept freshman clearly unprepared for the non-athletic qualities of playing as QB1 of the Dillon Panthers. The way they built up to this moment has been, for me, a clear sign of this: by not giving him any screentime at all, and letting his father do all of his talking, we as the audience are able to empathize with the situation he finds himself in. Here’s this kid whose father is bribing the coach to get him some playing time, and who bursts into the locker room (the LOCKER ROOM) in order to escort him out so that he can go to Applebee’s (APPLEBEE’S [Beads?]) with his parents. I know that he’s only fifteen, but at the same time I think that the show has demonstrated through a slow build that being J.D. McCoy, success be damned, is not in fact easy.

While it would have been possible for the show to then reveal that J.D. was a complete jerk who has no respect for his father, Jeremy Sumpter just doesn’t look like he could play that kind of character. With really his first acting showcase (hell, speaking showcase) of the season, Sumpter was strong at displaying in J.D. a crippling level of self-awareness. It’s not that J.D. is naive – he knows what the normal high school football culture is like, and I think he knew what happened at parties. Rather, J.D. is so consumed by what his father has told him, what his father would think of him, and what he knows people expect of him that he isn’t willing to accept any alternate paths at first glance. When Riggins dropped him off at home after their awesome tour, he knew that Coach Taylor had put Riggins up to it, but he (for perhaps the first time) chose to believe that Riggins was befriending him.

I’ve read from both Daniel Fienberg at Zap2it and Alan Sepinwall that this storyline echoes quite carefully a story of a father who conditioned his son (Todd Marinovich) to be an NFL Quarterback and that his son proceeded to rebel strongly against him (Wikipedia for more information). I don’t think that the show has time to get to that point this season, but I do think that we started to see some actual real-life choices made by J.D. in this episode. At what point that could start affecting his play on the field, though, is something we haven’t seen yet: one episode does not give us a clear indication of how much we’ll be focusing on J.D.’s personal life in the future, but I do have to think that we’ll be seeing more of him in the weeks ahead.

I thought, though, that his scenes with Riggins were really strong, and made me forget how ridiculous it seems that Tim has gone from being competitive for college scholarships to being able to handle football, buddying up to J.D. and his house remodeling project while still in school. Riggins has been asked to do a lot this season: he’s taken over the role as leader on the Panthers, he’s struck up a meaningful and mostly drama-free relationship with Lyla, he’s been helping his brother out of numerous financial jams, and he’s helping Street with this big project. There’s no other character so central to the narrative right now, and Taylor Kitsch continues to have a lot of fun with the role: the tour of Dillon, especially his insistence that he is to be known as Toby the injured Iraq war veteran at one of the bars, was a comic highlight for the episode.

In the end, though, the episode belongs to two stories designed to tug at the heartstrings, although in slightly different ways. Once it was clear that Smash was going to be going four and out early in the season, it was pretty easy to presume that Jason Street would be getting the same treatment. And we’re even following the same trajectory: images of the unfortunate post-football reality for these former stars who missed their big hance, followed by them facing a pivotal crossroads in their lives, and then Coach Taylor swoops in and begins to reconnect with them in the way that only a coach can. Sure, we only got a bit of paint in Eric’s hair, but it’s clear that he is going to help Street get out of this situation.

This is a pattern that can work very well for the series – Kyle Chandler and Scott Porter nailed almost every scene in this episode, and the coach’s off-field relationship with his players and their families is one of the show’s most charming aspects. And I mean charming literally: how else can we explain how Taylor manages to calm down Grandma Saracen at the grocery store? While I know that last season had a lot of problems, one of the biggest ones was attempting to turn Eric Taylor into a bad guy with the whole TMU debacle – it created a culture of abandonment that felt false, and I’m glad that we’re to the point where we just get to see the coach, well, be a coach. In fact, one of the real tragedies of J.D. McCoy is that, for all of his father’s reasoning that he moved to Dillon for Taylor’s expertise, Eric isn’t actually able to coach him because of the iron grip that his father has on his daily life. Coaching, for Eric Taylor’s key players, goes beyond the field, and even when they’re off of it for good.

Scott Porter is a great actor, and one gets the sense that the added focus of Street’s storyline is giving him some added incentive. He knows he only has a few episodes to dig into, here, so he’s making the most of it – while I was skeptical about the baby storyline when it (oddly) was our endnote in the show’s second season, it’s giving us a very definitive quarter-life crisis for a kid who has already gone through too much crisis in his young life. Between his speech to Buddy last week, and his struggles with his hired help in this episode, Porter is bringing that rushed sense of maturity and independence that was necessary in the wake of his accident in a way that is effective but damaging – you can tell that his attempts at optimism wear him down, but that he is able to find solace in the love of his son. That final “Hole in My Bucket” moment was not saccharine but tragic: he is driven by his emotional attachment to his son and his quasi-girlfriend, but that isn’t enough for him to be able to be with them and find a life together. I don’t know if flipping this house will get Street a happy ending, but my fingers are crossed.

In terms of happiness, though, we got what we were all waiting for: Matt Saracen and Julie Taylor finally had sex. Well, okay, it sounds a bit creepy for me to be happy that two fictional characters had sex, but it means they’re back in a relationship, and I think that’s a more acceptable level of emotional attachment here. Either way, it’s another sign that if this ends up being the show’s last season (fingers crossed, but forgive the realistic view here) that it will have felt historically meaningful to the show’s legacy. “I Think We Should Have Sex” was one of the best episodes of an amazing first season, and it makes complete sense that two years later these two characters would be in a much better place to investigate this side of their relationship. The season hasn’t exactly been coy about this possibility: as soon as she came out of that Applebee’s door and found him there kicking boxes, it was painfully obvious that this pairing was in the cards.

But that doesn’t take away how right it feels. Both of these characters are individually sound, but they spent the second season wrapped up in storylines ranging from frustrating (While Teegarden rocked it acting wise, her annoying brat phase went a bit far) to downright illogical (If Grandma Saracen gets another nurse I am going to throw things). Just everything about this point makes sense: Saracen suddenly has free time in which he isn’t consumed by football, Julie is more mature and ready for this, and the show feels like it was in need of a moment of happiness for these characters in particular. The way the moment was framed was even more perfect: their coy flirtations at the grocery store, the playful teasing in the lake, their discussion about the merits of hot dogs, and eventually their almost carnal realization that they are still madly in love with one another and greatly desire to have sex on the sand.

I’d like to blame Daniel Fienberg over at Zap2it for bringing up even the idea that this could lead to a pregnancy scare for Julie – while even he admits that it would seem out of place for this show, especially this season, it does seem like it could happen. But, personally, I think the moment was too perfect, and attempts to defile that image of Julie, in the early morning glow and wearing Matt’s sweatshirt, with her head on his shoulder as they drive up to the Taylor homestead seem ill-advised. Even the episode itself let the image stand: we didn’t get her parents flipping out over her sneaking into the house in the early morning, or even Julie attempting to be stealth in her entrance. Similarly, while Tami definitely noticed her daughter was glowing, and that Saracen’s grin seemed odd considering his recent demotion, there was no conversation that took place: the episode let us stick to that look on Julie’s face as she stares in the mirror and can’t stop grinning about it.

Any attempts to ruin this would feel wrong to me – I’m not saying that the show needs to start making everyone completely happy, but this Matt and Julie relationship is one thing that I think went through too much in the second season for it to be placed into grave peril in the span of the next seven episodes. Much as they have been treading carefully with many other characters (Coach Taylor and Landry in particular) in the post-Murder period, I think that Matt and Julie’s relationship has finally reached a point of logical reconcilation. So while I know better than to presume it’s going to be all sunshine and lollipops, I nonetheless expect that the worst is behind these two.

Overall, the episode didn’t do anything surprising: we knew Matt and Julie would get together, we could presume that Coach Taylor was going to enter into Jason’s storyline, we expected that J.D. was perhaps ore of a victim than a perpetrator, and I think we all saw the “Deadbeat Cash” (Which I’ll discuss below) coming from a mile away. But that didn’t keep the episode from leaving a smile on my face, and from just being darn emotionally impactful. This was the show’s pedigree in the first season, and even if I could choreograph it a mile away I’m never unhappy to find myself rooting for or against these characters.

Cultural Observations

• If I can draw an allusion to Mad Men for a second (I’m going through Mad Men withdrawl), Tyra is the Joan of this universe – I won’t go into spoiler territory as it relates to Mad Men, but there are a lot of parallels that continue into this episode. With her mother pushing him as a “good man” for supporting her college application drive, Tyra feels pressured to accept his reasoning even though we all know it is more than likely a lie. It’s a bad situation that we know is going to backfire on her, and we’ve seen Tyra go through a lot, so I do hope that she might finally find some solace at some point this season.
• That being said, though, I don’t think that solace should be with Landry – random new bass player love interest is right in that he needs to get over Tyra (a relationship that I never bought, and that was predicated on the event that shall not be discussed), and I don’t think that pairing has any life in it. But I loved the little moment where Tyra noticed that what Julie said sounded like something Landry would say – the two kids just need to be friends, darnit.

I know we just did our Dream Team for the Justice League last week, but it got me to thinking about how there aren’t a lot of DC movies being made and the ones that have been made are a mix of ups and downs…the reinvigorated Batman franchise has made huge gains both financially and credibly, but the latest Superman relaunch was a bit of a disappointment. And that supposed younger Justice League film never got off the ground in light of last winter’s writers’ strike. So, I thought it would be fun for John and I to fill out our version of the Justice League cast…

Wonder Woman: This is probably the toughest decision to make. The right actress has to have a certain age and wisdom to them, yet still be young and look good in the costume. She also can’t be one of those lithesome types so popular these days…WW is big and strong. That’s a tough description to fill. My first reaction would be to go with Kate Beckinsale, but that just seems so obvious. Plus, she might actually be too pretty for the job. If I knew she could act (aside from her role on the new incarnation of American Gladiators), I’d pick the tough and beautiful Gina Carano. Instead, I’m going to have to go with one of the early rumors: Charisma Carpenter.

Green Lantern: I know I’m going to have a hard time coming up with some young, dark-haired guys to fill some of these roles…guys that aren’t generic and one-dimensional (*cough*BrandonRouth*cough*). However, Kyle Rayner has a certain earnestness to him that I think one particular person can conjure up. As a matter of fact, he was also rumored to be up for this role recently: Friday Night Lights‘ Scott Porter.

Flash: In my mind, Wally West could only be played by one person, and that’s the person who has long been attached to the role in a supposed solo movie that may or may not ever get made: Ryan Reynolds.

Plastic Man: Wow. This is a tough one. He has to have a good sense of humor and even have a sort of goofy looking face. Yet he has to be a believable actor in order to pull it all off. Whoever plays Plastic Man should be a bit taller and on the thin side. I thought I had this thought wrapped up, but then I got hit with a weird epiphany and now I can’t decide between two good actors. One is a bit younger and definitely embodies the actual “look” of Plastic Man. The other is a couple years older and would need to dye his hair, but I think has a stronger personality for the character. The two choices are: Jesse Bradford or Neil Patrick Harris.

Animal Man: Buddy Baker is just a normal guy. There’s nothing special about him. He’s a family man who just happened upon something wonderful. This position is ripe for an established character actor, one of those types that you’ve seen in a bunch of movies and has pulled off his acting so well that you can never remember his real name. I have the perfect name: Alan Tudyk.

Mister Miracle: This one was probably the toughest for me solely because you see Scott Free out of costume maybe once every fourteen years. What does he look like? What sort of person is he out of his superhero role? I dunno. I found one panel with his actual face and I just thought he looked a bit like Casey Affleck.

Black Lightning: Jefferson Pierce is obviously a bit older than some of the heroes. He’s been around the block a few times, has a certain roughness to him, but could also come across as a quiet leader if need be. He has a teaching background, has two daughters and is definitely an established professional. My first impulse was to pick LL Cool J, but then I thought he looked too nice and easygoing. Black Lightning has more of a burning intensity to him. To that end, I selected someone who has seen a lot of screen time lately and someone who was actually cast to play John Stewart in the now-stalled Justice League film: Common.

That’s my cast of seven. I’m sure John has his own opinions. Hopefully we can come to a jovial consensus.

I’m a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I think the casts are good and don’t often get enough credit. That being said, I simply can not see Charisma Carpenter as Wonder Woman. I’m not saying that she’s a bad actress, as much as I’m saying that she simply doesn’t have the gravity and weight (and I’m not talking pounds) that she would need to portray the Amazon princess. That may not be a fair assessment from me, but that’s how I see it.

Unfortunately, finding someone to fill the role is difficult, since so many women in Hollywood are reed-like stick figures. I’d be tempted to throw out the name of Lucy Lawless, another early rumor for this role, but I already secured her a role as Black Widow, so I won’t push my luck. Instead, I’m going to look to Sci-Fi Channel’s late, lamented Farscape, and nominate Claudia Black, who has the look, the strength and the gravity to portray Princess Diana.

I don’t have a problem with Scott Porter, and certainly some poor actor from that underrated show should get a break in the big time. I say, let’s use him!

Love Ryan Reynolds! Perfect!

As for Plastic Man, I don’t think there’s any choice here. I like Jesse Bradford, but there’s no one better than Neil Patrick Harris for this role. The problem with Plastic Man is that, if you take his humor out of context, he can come across as simply obnoxious. You need someone who can be in your face and over the top, yet still likable and come across as real. That’s what Neil Patrick Harris does every week on How I Met Your Mother. He’s the clear choice.

I really hate to agree with you so much, but I think Alan Tudyk would make a great Animal Man. I need to find someone here I can argue, besides Wonder Woman.

Well, I can argue with you about Scott Free! Actually, I think Casey Affleck is a great actor; his recent turns in The Assassination of Jesse James…I’m Not Typing the Rest and Gone Baby Gone were amazing, and I’ve enjoyed him in other roles as well. However…..ugh. No, I can’t really argue with you on this one either. He wouldn’t be my first choice, but there’s absolutely no reason why he couldn’t do a fantastic job in the role.

I can’t really argue about Common either; he’d be great in the role.

Well, I could try and pick a false argument with some of your choices, but that seems pointless. You made some really great picks. I just need you to agree on Neil Patrick Harris, and then we can fight about Wonder Woman, although I don’t know how you could possibly disagree on Claudia Black.

As far as Wonder Woman goes, I was looking for someone who was slightly older and had some ethnicity to them, but wasn’t an everyday name that would have previous recognition attached to them. I mean, you look at Lynda Carter from back in the day and she was just the perfect embodiment for Diana Prince. I think Susan Sarandon would’ve had a similar resonance too. And I was toying with the idea of selecting Rhona Mitra, but I wasn’t sure she was “beefy” enough for the role. To that end, I don’t mind the selection of Claudia Black. I’ve certainly never heard of her before. She’s older and rather tall. Plus, she’s like a fanboy dream, with appearances in Hercules, Xena, Farscape, Stargate, Beastmaster, Moonlight and Pitch Black and videogame voiceover work with God of War, Conan, Lords of Everquest and Crysis. I say she’s in!

And, of course, I have no problems with NPH as Plastic Man. He’s hilarious AND a good actor.

Wow. That was much quicker and easier than I had anticipated. Here’s our heroic lineup for the “Meanwhile…Comics!” version of a Justice League movie:

]]> http://hotvnews.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/irmaos-irmas-encontraram-ryan/ Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:37:32 +0000 Duarte Faria http://hotvnews.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/irmaos-irmas-encontraram-ryan/