I found last night's episode oddly satisfying; however, I am not sure if that is due to the actual quality of the episode or my own dealings with campus bureaucracy earlier in the day. What makes this episode work best is that it is not really trying to do anything; it is not a theme/genre episode, it is not re-piloting, establishing new characters or saying farewell to old ones---it is simply "Hijinks as Usual" at Greendale. And, in a way, that is oddly comforting.
It is good to see Jonathan Banks fully integrated into the cast now and, had this episode preceded the previous episode, I would have been more willing to by in to his participation with the "Chairs and Lava" game. For most of the episode, Banks's Professor Hickey is teamed up with Alison Brie's Annie and, honestly, it makes for a good pairing: him the seasoned cynic, her the youthful overachiever.
Without his principle foil, Troy, there was some concern that Abed would be left floundering; however, for this episode at least, it was handled pretty well by having Abed, once again, establish a connection with a girl who we will never see again (a trope that the shows calls itself out on for repeating). This time it is a hearing impaired student who Abed, not only learns sign-language for, but, also, wears noise cancelling head phones (although the latter is also due to Abed attempting to avoid Britta spoiling Bloodlines of Conquest --- the show's stand in for Game of Thrones---for Abed).
Unfortunately for Abed, it was all a plot by Britta who paid off the aforementioned love interest to spoil the entire series for Abed upon earning his trust; unfortunately for the show, this seems like an uncharacteristically cruel thing for Britta to do to Abed without any real reason.
Fortunately, the dissolution of Abed's relationship paves the way for the return of Rachel, the cute coat check girl, from one of last season's more redeemable episodes, "A Herstory of Dance". And, honestly, if they were going to salvage anything from last year's disastrous season, I'm glad it's her.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Community: Chairs and Lava
Tonight's episode was an attempt a former glories--- elements of "Modern Warfare" (aka 'Paintball) and "Pillows and Blankets" were both fused together to create a spoof of post-apocalyptic epics like Mad Max, Book of Eli, and The Hunger Games. Abed sets the apocalypse in motion by setting up an epic game of "The Floor is Lava", complete with "new names" for things (centipeding is working in teams to move chairs around to avoid touching the floor) and various factions ("The Locker Boys", a group of punks who avoid touching the floor by hiding in lockers and ambushing those who happen to pass by, are, of course, led by Chang--- while Shirley has created a sort of 'oasis' by building a fort out of chairs and tables for weary travelers).
You have to give the show credit for not recalling previous episodes without out-and-out repeating them. At the same time, this episode doesn't work quite as well. Much of this is do to the fact that it feels far to early in the season for an episode like this; we're not even quite halfway through the season yet and concept episodes like this either work best as either the finale or the penultimate episode for the season. However, this was unavoidable as Donald Glover's departure forced their hand.
The emotional core of the episode is separation of everyone's favorite bromance: Troy and Abed. Honestly, it doesn't seem to have the emotional heft that it should have at this point. Once again, while I feel that this season has been spot-on with its genre/concept episodes in terms of look, feel, and pacing, this episode feels lacking in substance to me.
I also can't buy Professor Hickey's all-in approach to the game; maybe I'm just too used to Jonathan Banks as the no-nonsense Mike on Breaking Bad but I just couldn't quite suspend my disbelief for that one. That's not to say that if I had been given a few more episodes to get to know the character that it could have become more plausible but, based on what we've seen of the character thus far, it just felt a little too silly for me.
Again, it was not a bad episode--- it was merely a competent one; I still chuckled at "Troy and Abed in a Bubble!" and the credits big with Troy and Levar Burton was adorable, but I have come to expect better from Harmon and company. I had hoped that they would rise above the mediocrity of last season but, thus far, they are only matching it.
You have to give the show credit for not recalling previous episodes without out-and-out repeating them. At the same time, this episode doesn't work quite as well. Much of this is do to the fact that it feels far to early in the season for an episode like this; we're not even quite halfway through the season yet and concept episodes like this either work best as either the finale or the penultimate episode for the season. However, this was unavoidable as Donald Glover's departure forced their hand.
The emotional core of the episode is separation of everyone's favorite bromance: Troy and Abed. Honestly, it doesn't seem to have the emotional heft that it should have at this point. Once again, while I feel that this season has been spot-on with its genre/concept episodes in terms of look, feel, and pacing, this episode feels lacking in substance to me.
I also can't buy Professor Hickey's all-in approach to the game; maybe I'm just too used to Jonathan Banks as the no-nonsense Mike on Breaking Bad but I just couldn't quite suspend my disbelief for that one. That's not to say that if I had been given a few more episodes to get to know the character that it could have become more plausible but, based on what we've seen of the character thus far, it just felt a little too silly for me.
Again, it was not a bad episode--- it was merely a competent one; I still chuckled at "Troy and Abed in a Bubble!" and the credits big with Troy and Levar Burton was adorable, but I have come to expect better from Harmon and company. I had hoped that they would rise above the mediocrity of last season but, thus far, they are only matching it.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Community: PIERCing goodbyes....
"We're doing a bottle episode", Tonight's episode recalled the classic "Cooperative Calligraphy" bottle episode, in fact--- it so matched the claustrophobic format of that episode that it is almost remiss that Abed did not make some sort of meta-textual observation about its repetitiveness. Pierce makes one last attempt at emotional manipulation from beyond the grave and, ultimately, a final attempt at making amends as only Pierce could--- on Jeff's sexuality, they will just have to "agree to disagree".
Still, the final bequeathments were both sweet but still laced with the show's trademark humor; Annie's tiara was once worn by Pierce as a child because his mother wanted a girl and each member, in addition to their personalized inheritance, is left a sample of Hawhorne's own freeze-dried sperm (I'll admit... the first one was funny, the second one less so... but when he left them to the male group members as well, I was cracking up).
It should also be noted that Pierce expresses a bit of a grudge towards Abed, the one group member not extended any sort of post-houmous olive branch, and states that he never understood anything he said. This is because, more than any other character, Abed represents the meta-textual nature of the show something that, in real life, was much of the conflict with Chevy Chase who never understood the concept of reference humor (Based on the commentary, he was much happier doing good old fashioned physical comedy).
Was tonight's episode great? Not by any means, but it was an all around solid episode and, in Pierce's departure, it has laid the groundwork for Troy's (Donald Glover) departure from the show. I'm not blown away yet, but here's hoping that Harmon and Co. are just warming up
UPDATE: Thanks to my following of community on Facebook, this was brought to my attention:
Nice!
Still, the final bequeathments were both sweet but still laced with the show's trademark humor; Annie's tiara was once worn by Pierce as a child because his mother wanted a girl and each member, in addition to their personalized inheritance, is left a sample of Hawhorne's own freeze-dried sperm (I'll admit... the first one was funny, the second one less so... but when he left them to the male group members as well, I was cracking up).
It should also be noted that Pierce expresses a bit of a grudge towards Abed, the one group member not extended any sort of post-houmous olive branch, and states that he never understood anything he said. This is because, more than any other character, Abed represents the meta-textual nature of the show something that, in real life, was much of the conflict with Chevy Chase who never understood the concept of reference humor (Based on the commentary, he was much happier doing good old fashioned physical comedy).
Was tonight's episode great? Not by any means, but it was an all around solid episode and, in Pierce's departure, it has laid the groundwork for Troy's (Donald Glover) departure from the show. I'm not blown away yet, but here's hoping that Harmon and Co. are just warming up
UPDATE: Thanks to my following of community on Facebook, this was brought to my attention:
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Best of Bruce
In conjunction with today's release of Bruce's latest album, High Hopes, I thought I'd breakdown my Top 10 Bruce albums:
10. The River- this is probably the album the most encapsulates every aspect of Bruce: the folk songwriter ("The River"), the rocker ("Ramrod"), pop-songsmith ("Hungry Hearth") and "Sherry Darling" is one of my favorites.
9. Magic - The Rising may have been the comeback album, but this is the more rocking album.
8. Wrecking Ball - His most ambitious album from the most productive decade of his entire career.
7. Born in the USA - For many people, this album IS Bruce Springsteen. And, why not? It is certainly his most commercially successful, with six hits ("Born in the USA", "Dancing in the Dark", "Cover Me", "I'm On Fire", "My Hometown", "Glory Days") and six songs that could have been hits, it's practically a greatest hits album.
6. The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle - The follow up to Bruce's debut, the one managed to both delve deeper and darker while still managing to rock harder. "Rosalita" might be his first truly great rock song and "New York City Serenade" would become his first true epic.
5. Greetings From Asbury Park - Far from the much tighter songwriting he would employ in later years, the near stream of conscious quirkiness of this album established Bruce as a brilliant new songwriter. The songs are some of the darkest, weirdest songs he would ever write; they're also some of the best.
4. Live 1975-1985 - This set encapsulates Bruce and the band's rise to stadium status. It also comes as close as possible to recreating the feeling of a full on, three hour Bruce show without actually being there.
3. Darkness on the Edge of Town - The classic E-street band sound truly solidified on this album. "Adam Raised a Cain" might be Bruce's most searing rock song.
2. Live at the Hammersmith Odeon '75- For years, Bruce didn't release this because he thought it was a terrible performance. Sometimes his judgment sucks; it's an amazing performance that captures the E-street band when they're still young and hungry, coming out of the clubs just on the verge of superstardom. Not to mention, it has an EPIC version of "Kitty's Back"
1. Born to Run- Without a doubt, the most perfect rock album ever recorded. If I could send one album into space to explain rock music to aliens, this would be it. Clarence's Sax solo in "Jungleland" is one of the most transcendent moments in all of rock music.
10. The River- this is probably the album the most encapsulates every aspect of Bruce: the folk songwriter ("The River"), the rocker ("Ramrod"), pop-songsmith ("Hungry Hearth") and "Sherry Darling" is one of my favorites.
9. Magic - The Rising may have been the comeback album, but this is the more rocking album. 8. Wrecking Ball - His most ambitious album from the most productive decade of his entire career.
7. Born in the USA - For many people, this album IS Bruce Springsteen. And, why not? It is certainly his most commercially successful, with six hits ("Born in the USA", "Dancing in the Dark", "Cover Me", "I'm On Fire", "My Hometown", "Glory Days") and six songs that could have been hits, it's practically a greatest hits album.6. The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle - The follow up to Bruce's debut, the one managed to both delve deeper and darker while still managing to rock harder. "Rosalita" might be his first truly great rock song and "New York City Serenade" would become his first true epic.
5. Greetings From Asbury Park - Far from the much tighter songwriting he would employ in later years, the near stream of conscious quirkiness of this album established Bruce as a brilliant new songwriter. The songs are some of the darkest, weirdest songs he would ever write; they're also some of the best.
4. Live 1975-1985 - This set encapsulates Bruce and the band's rise to stadium status. It also comes as close as possible to recreating the feeling of a full on, three hour Bruce show without actually being there.
3. Darkness on the Edge of Town - The classic E-street band sound truly solidified on this album. "Adam Raised a Cain" might be Bruce's most searing rock song.1. Born to Run- Without a doubt, the most perfect rock album ever recorded. If I could send one album into space to explain rock music to aliens, this would be it. Clarence's Sax solo in "Jungleland" is one of the most transcendent moments in all of rock music.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Community Thriller doesn't thrill....
And so we have the first genre homage/parody since Dan Harmon's return--- this time, it is of the thriller/suspense/true-crime genre. And, to be honest, it falls a little flat. To its credit, the imitation is spot-on; it hits all the right beats and plays off of all the tropes of the genre but, at the end of the day, Community is a comedy and the jokes themselves fall flat.
Whenever a show has a unique voice, part of that show's appeal is its ability to surprise us, to catch us off guard. Any show, after a number of years, just isn't going to seem as fresh as it once did. Still, this particular episode seems like a wasted opportunity. Abed and Troy, two of the most dependable characters for breathing an air of authenticity to these types of episodes, barely appear. The focus is, instead, shifted to Jeff and Annie and the episode uses the opportunity for a bit of meta-textual commentary on the nature of their relationship.
It terms of the overall plot of the series, the episode is serviceable but, on a line by line basis, it could have been a lot better. The best joke in the episode is a direct rip from 30 Rock (Jeff's comment about liking Dave Matthews because he was alive in the 90's and had "two ears connected to a heart" is almost a direct quote of Jack in an episode of 30 Rock only in regards to the great Phil Collins. In fact, the joke was even funnier on 30 Rock because it was Tracey Jordan who wanted to make a mix CD for Jack containing Phil Collins....). I think the gag with Abed as the slightly-autistic-detective-who-is-a-genius could have been played for a bit more than it was. After all, it may be an overused concept within the genre but it is for that very reason that it needs to be used here.
At least on a conceptual level, this is far better than anything that was attempted last season, yet it doesn't quite match up to the best genre homage/parodies of the previous seasons.
Whenever a show has a unique voice, part of that show's appeal is its ability to surprise us, to catch us off guard. Any show, after a number of years, just isn't going to seem as fresh as it once did. Still, this particular episode seems like a wasted opportunity. Abed and Troy, two of the most dependable characters for breathing an air of authenticity to these types of episodes, barely appear. The focus is, instead, shifted to Jeff and Annie and the episode uses the opportunity for a bit of meta-textual commentary on the nature of their relationship.
It terms of the overall plot of the series, the episode is serviceable but, on a line by line basis, it could have been a lot better. The best joke in the episode is a direct rip from 30 Rock (Jeff's comment about liking Dave Matthews because he was alive in the 90's and had "two ears connected to a heart" is almost a direct quote of Jack in an episode of 30 Rock only in regards to the great Phil Collins. In fact, the joke was even funnier on 30 Rock because it was Tracey Jordan who wanted to make a mix CD for Jack containing Phil Collins....). I think the gag with Abed as the slightly-autistic-detective-who-is-a-genius could have been played for a bit more than it was. After all, it may be an overused concept within the genre but it is for that very reason that it needs to be used here.
At least on a conceptual level, this is far better than anything that was attempted last season, yet it doesn't quite match up to the best genre homage/parodies of the previous seasons.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Favorite Movies 2013
In keeping with the geekiness of this blog, most of my favorite movies of this year were actually of the geeky variety; however, there are a couple of honorable mentions that aren't that geeky but still worth mentioning:
American Hustle - While I felt it was a far less entertaining movie than it should have been based on its premise, it probably has the best cast of any movie this year with stellar performances all around. Jennifer Lawrence continues to shine in roles beyond her years and Christian Bale is definitely deserving of all the awards for his performance.
The Wolf of Wall Street- Martin Scorsese does for white collar crime what he did for gangsters in Goodfellas. Dicaprio and Jonah Hill deliver A plus performances, but the movie clocks in at 3 hours, which is probably about an hour longer than it needs to be; there's only so much you can take of characters that are, basically, terrible people--- no matter how charismatic--- before you start to actively dislike them.
Also, I won't get to see Her until it's widely released... but I very much want to see it....
But on with the main list....
10. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Yes, they added a lot of padding to this one, more than the first even, but it is still, more or less, an enjoyable movie going experience. However, it probably would not have made the list if not for one very important thing: Smaug. Looks. AWESOME!!!!!
9. Pacific Rim
Giant robots fighting giant monsters: what's not to like? Granted, I didn't like it as much the second time around, but the film creates a workable and interesting mythology and builds a compelling story around its simple 'Robots Vs. Monsters' premise. I regret not seeing this one in 3D....
8. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Is it as funny or as good as the original? Not really. After all, it can't be; part of the original's charm was its uniqueness, the unexpectedness of the gags. So, it's not quite going to be the same. That being said, it is still very funny and it gets bonus points for getting in a few shrewd jabs at the 24 hours news networks (particularly as practiced by the folks at Fox). Sure, it's 30 minutes too long but, if you're not laughing at something, just wait 5 minutes and something will come along to make you chuckle.
7. Star Trek: Into Darkness
The new Trek franchise would be better if it just completely cut ties with the original continuity entirety; any serious Trek fan will have your head spinning with inconsistencies in a matter of minutes. I think what I like about these movies is that they are decidedly NOT Star Trek movies. They're a bit more akin to Star Wars which is why I'm psyched that JJ Abrams is hopping ship to that franchise. Still, what Into Darkness might lack when it comes to the more cerebral elements of the Trek tradition, it makes up for with loads of fun.
6. Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing
Not really a geek film per se, but it IS Joss Whedon so it gets a pass. This happens to be my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies so there's also that. Beautifully filmed at Joss Whedon's home with a cast of friends, its greatest charm is its simplicity. Mr. Whedon, you have a lovely home; invite me over some time.
5. Iron Man 3
Every time I watch this movie, I like it a little more. So much so that I think I'm going to have to write a more detailed post on this later. The last third is still kind of a mess, but there's more going on here than meets the eye....
4. Thor 2: The Dark World
This earned its spot by being the most pleasant surprise of the year; I wasn't expecting a lot from Thor 2 but it turned out to be one of the most fun movies of the year and, quite possibly, even one of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.
3. This is the End
I'm a smart guy.... but I'm also a guy. This means that sometimes I like stupid things. Sometimes I just wanted to see annoying celebrities playing themselves sucked into hell or ultimate indie nice guy Michael Cera playing the ultimate hollywood asshole who snorts coke and gets his salad tossed by 'groupies' or (SPOILER ALERT) Danny McBride making Channing Tatum his bitch in a post-apocalyptic landscape. I don't know how they ever convinced them to give them the budget to do this.... but they did... and I love it....
2. Despicable Me 2
While it lacks some of the original's emotional heft (mostly because that film's central pathos was bound up in Gru's transformation into a good person, something that is already established at the beginning of this installment) it still has a lot of heart and is an all around charming movie. And, we get MORE Minions... and that's always a good thing!
1. The World's End
Not only is this my favorite movie of the year, it probably now one of my favorite movies, period. It is probably deserving of its own post at some point but, for now, I will just say that it is my favorite of 'the Cornetto Trilogy' (yes, I think it's even better than Shaun of the Dead). What is brilliant about this movie is that, 30 minutes into the movie, I had forgotten that weird stuff was going to happen. I was genuinely caught off guard when the first robots showed up because I had actually gotten so immersed in the story of these old friends that I had forgot the type of movie that this was going to be. Pegg/Wright/Frost pull this same trick in Shaun of the Dead but, here, they pull it off even better. I'm getting to where I'm about the same age as the characters so I probably relate to this film more deeply than I'm even willing to admit. Oh--- and the final act! Gary King's argument with the alien intelligence--- brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I love this movie so much that I want to see its sequel and its prequel (which I actually hope they never make because they will never be as good as I want them to be in my head).
American Hustle - While I felt it was a far less entertaining movie than it should have been based on its premise, it probably has the best cast of any movie this year with stellar performances all around. Jennifer Lawrence continues to shine in roles beyond her years and Christian Bale is definitely deserving of all the awards for his performance.
The Wolf of Wall Street- Martin Scorsese does for white collar crime what he did for gangsters in Goodfellas. Dicaprio and Jonah Hill deliver A plus performances, but the movie clocks in at 3 hours, which is probably about an hour longer than it needs to be; there's only so much you can take of characters that are, basically, terrible people--- no matter how charismatic--- before you start to actively dislike them.
Also, I won't get to see Her until it's widely released... but I very much want to see it....
But on with the main list....
10. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
9. Pacific Rim
Giant robots fighting giant monsters: what's not to like? Granted, I didn't like it as much the second time around, but the film creates a workable and interesting mythology and builds a compelling story around its simple 'Robots Vs. Monsters' premise. I regret not seeing this one in 3D....
8. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Is it as funny or as good as the original? Not really. After all, it can't be; part of the original's charm was its uniqueness, the unexpectedness of the gags. So, it's not quite going to be the same. That being said, it is still very funny and it gets bonus points for getting in a few shrewd jabs at the 24 hours news networks (particularly as practiced by the folks at Fox). Sure, it's 30 minutes too long but, if you're not laughing at something, just wait 5 minutes and something will come along to make you chuckle.
7. Star Trek: Into Darkness
The new Trek franchise would be better if it just completely cut ties with the original continuity entirety; any serious Trek fan will have your head spinning with inconsistencies in a matter of minutes. I think what I like about these movies is that they are decidedly NOT Star Trek movies. They're a bit more akin to Star Wars which is why I'm psyched that JJ Abrams is hopping ship to that franchise. Still, what Into Darkness might lack when it comes to the more cerebral elements of the Trek tradition, it makes up for with loads of fun.
6. Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing
Not really a geek film per se, but it IS Joss Whedon so it gets a pass. This happens to be my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies so there's also that. Beautifully filmed at Joss Whedon's home with a cast of friends, its greatest charm is its simplicity. Mr. Whedon, you have a lovely home; invite me over some time.
5. Iron Man 3
TEvery time I watch this movie, I like it a little more. So much so that I think I'm going to have to write a more detailed post on this later. The last third is still kind of a mess, but there's more going on here than meets the eye....
4. Thor 2: The Dark World
3. This is the End
2. Despicable Me 2
1. The World's End
Not only is this my favorite movie of the year, it probably now one of my favorite movies, period. It is probably deserving of its own post at some point but, for now, I will just say that it is my favorite of 'the Cornetto Trilogy' (yes, I think it's even better than Shaun of the Dead). What is brilliant about this movie is that, 30 minutes into the movie, I had forgotten that weird stuff was going to happen. I was genuinely caught off guard when the first robots showed up because I had actually gotten so immersed in the story of these old friends that I had forgot the type of movie that this was going to be. Pegg/Wright/Frost pull this same trick in Shaun of the Dead but, here, they pull it off even better. I'm getting to where I'm about the same age as the characters so I probably relate to this film more deeply than I'm even willing to admit. Oh--- and the final act! Gary King's argument with the alien intelligence--- brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I love this movie so much that I want to see its sequel and its prequel (which I actually hope they never make because they will never be as good as I want them to be in my head).
Saturday, January 4, 2014
January's Album of the Month: Wrecking Ball- Bruce Springsteen
He looks forward by looking back; he takes the traditional folk instrumentation and arrangements that he experimented with earlier in the decade on We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions and fuses it with 21st century sounds and technology. The result is something that is simultaneously unique and familiar.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Community Returns
There are some encouraging signs for the new seasons though: Abed's descent into madness in trying to answer the seemingly simple question, "Nicholas Cage: Bad or Good" is the kind of pop-culture commentary that Dan Harmon was so good at that the season 4 writers just couldn't seem to pull off. Also, there's Jonathan Banks who is, ostensibly, taking Chevy Chase's role in the cast (he is reportedly appearing in 11 of 13 episodes this season). He could have very easily been used as a one-time gag but Harmon manages to give the character some depth and open up the opportunities for further exploring his relationships with the other characters.
So, while nothing too exciting has happened yet, I am hopeful that the series has bit of life in it yet and, while I'm sure there will be a few clunkers, perhaps we can get a few more genius episodes like, "Paradigms of Human Memory", "Digital Estate Planning", "Contemporary American Poultry", "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons", "Critical Film Studies" or, maybe, even another "Modern Warfare" (that's the paintball one).
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