Fall TV Preview
Ah, the leaves are changing color; the air is getting crisper; (American) football is on the air; and the sweaters are beginning to come out. That can only mean one thing…
The new television season is almost here!
Herewith, a brief a guide to help you spend your time productively until the beginning of next year…when the mid-season television season will be upon us.
The Top 5 New Dramas
1. Pushing Daisies [ABC, Wednesdays, 8/7c]. Dude, anything Barry Sonnenfeld does is worth checking out.
2. Viva Laughlin [CBS, Sundays, 8/7c]. Not only is this a musical episodic television show; not only is it based on the British TV hit Viva Blackpool; but it's also executive produced by Hugh Jackman (who has promised to show up semi-regularly if the show is a hit…so, it's up to you now America!).
3. Dirty S*xy Money [ABC, Wednesdays, 10/9c]. Great cast ( Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, Billy Baldwin…presumably back from the dead) to be sure; but an even better title.
4. Bionic Woman [NBC, Wednesdays, 9/8c]. Of course, I guess, you could make the case that this is a returning drama…The Better Half tells me that she used to love the original show with Lindsay Wagner. Well, I used to love Lindsay Wagner, so we both have that in common.
5. K-Ville [FOX, Mondays, 9/8c]. I like Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as much as the next guy…but I want to see this show because (for once) they actually filmed where the show is set: New Orleans.
The Top 5 New Comedies
1. Aliens in America [The CW, Mondays, 8:30/7:30c]. What a cool concept for a mainstream television comedy! A host family in the American Heartland asks for an exchange student…and get a Muslim Pakistani boy in return.
2. – 5. [The rest of the new comedies were all…meh.]
The Top 5 Returning Dramas
1. House [FOX, Tuesdays, 9/8c].
2. Boston Legal [ABC, Tuesdays, 10/9c].
3. Criminal Minds [CBS, Wednesdays, 9/8c].
4. – 5. [The rest of the returning dramas were all…meh. But please feel free to watch Friday Night Lights (NBC, Fridays, 9/8c) and Heroes (NBC, Mondays, 9/8c). People assure me that they are both very good.]
5.5 Law & Order: Criminal Intent [USA, Thursdays, 10/9c]. The Chris Noth half (hence the "0.5").
The Top 5 Returning Comedies
1. Ugly Betty [ABC, Thursdays, 8/7c].
2. Two and a Half Men [CBS, Mondays, 9/8c].
3. Curb Your Enthusiasm [HBO, Sundays, 10/9c].
4. The Sarah Silverman Program [Comedy Central, Wednesdays, 10:30/9:30c].
5. The Office [NBC, Thursdays, 9/8c].
5.5 30 Rock [NBC, Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c]. The Alec Baldwin portion (hence the "0.5").
The Faces I'm Glad to See (Back) on Television
1. Ray Wise [Reaper, The CW, Tuesdays, 9/8c].
2. Fred Willard [Back to You, FOX, Wednesdays, 8/7c].
3. Taye Diggs and Tim Daly [Private Practice, ABC, Wednesdays, 9/8c].
4. Tom Selleck [Las Vegas, NBC, Fridays, 10/9c].
5. Joe Mantegna [Criminal Minds, CBS, Wednesdays, 9/8c].
5.5 Mandy Moore [How I Met Your Mother, CBS, Mondays, 9/8c]. She only shows up in the season premiere, hence the "0.5."
The Show I Wish I Could Watch
The Twenty20 World Cup [Dish Network Pay-Per-View].
The Top Show No Matter What Genre
Pardon The Interruption [ESPN, Weekdays, 5:30 ET/2:30 PT].
The basu! Guide to the Movies
(The Here-Comes-Fall/Autumn-Already Edition)
07 September – 14 September 2007
The b! List
Ten things that are the best, ever (currently)!
1. Roger Federer. Let's see…Andy Roddick served at 71%; won 77% of his first serve points; served at up to 146 mph; served at an average of 130 mph; hit 14 aces; made 42 winners against only 24 unforced errors…and he still lost in straight sets to the Greatest Athlete, Ever (Currently)! http://tinyurl.com/2gle3q
2. Pink Martini at The Hollywood Bowl. Fireworks, a guest conductor from Michigan (Thomas Wilkins), a 90-year-old Frenchman (Henri Salvador), a legendary performer (Carol Channing, yes that Carol Channing), and a "surrealist big-band groove machine" (MarchFourth Marching Band)...what else could you ask for to bring this Summer at the Bowl to its fitting end?! http://tinyurl.com/37wvba
3. Andre Agassi, Tennis Commentator. In one evening Agassi brought the kind of precise, insightful, cogent analysis that is sorely missing from all sports broadcasting today. More please! http://tinyurl.com/38atdv
4. Jelena Jankovic. The quirky Serbian went from swatting precise groundstrokes, speaking with the crowd during the match, taking Venus Williams to a third-set tiebreak, to graciously, if tearfully, addressing the stadium after the match even though she lost. That's why she is now The Better Half and my favorite female tennis player. http://tinyurl.com/3bqpp4
5. America Ferrera Wins an Emmy. The best actress on television is no longer a secret. http://tinyurl.com/2gsxmq
6. Terry O'Quinn Wins an Emmy. Now the whole world agrees with me that John Locke is the best character on Lost…well, at least the television world does. http://tinyurl.com/2cvfx2
7. The Iron Man Trailer. Mark it down on your calendars: 02 May 2008! http://tinyurl.com/2suzlr
8. Underworld at The Hollywood Bowl. Who knew electronica could rock the whole Hollywood Bowl (assisted by opening act Paul Oakenfold)? An added bonus was to see that glow-sticks were still alive and well. http://tinyurl.com/25z2t6
9. The 3:10 to Yuma Soundtrack. It is so hard to do an updated Western score without resorting to unintentional parody, yet somehow Marco Beltrami manages it. He's come a long way from Scream 2 (when he lifted my favorite little twangy-guitar motif from Broken Arrow). http://www.310toyumathefilm.com/
10. Luciano Pavarotti. A melancholy farewell to the man who brought Opera to the masses (like me). http://tinyurl.com/yspaxu
One to Watch: The Great Clive Owen
Shoot 'Em Up
Directed by: Michael Davis
Starring: Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, Paul Giamatti, and many, many gunmen
Plot: A mysterious British man has to enlist the help of a lactating prostitute when he inadvertently finds himself protecting a newborn from hordes of machinegun-toting thugs. Over-the-top-action-with-a-healthy-does-of-irony type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: I could talk about how director Davis was finding it hard to find work in mainstream action films due to his "advanced" age (the poor chap is pushing 46) and had to make a 15-minute animatic of a sequence from the film in order to get New Line to bankroll the production. I could talk about how much I heart both Bellucci and Giamatti. I could talk about how much fun this little throwaway parody is (and make no mistake, it is parody). But instead, I am choosing to talk about the great Owen…who is worth the price of admission on his own!
Bottom Line: Me and Other Fans of Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, and Paul Giamatti: Theatres – First Week; Other, Less "Dedicated" Fans: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Children of Men; Croupier; Closer ; I'll Sleep When I'm Dead; Greenfingers
One to Watch: Who Said the Western Was Dead?
3:10 to Yuma
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Ben Foster, Alan Tudyk, Gretchen Mol
Plot: A upstanding rancher has to deliver a notorious outlaw to a prison train in order to save his home from foreclosure. Sometimes-the-housing-market-is-literally-murder type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: I think I am this close to anointing Lionsgate the worst studio, ever (taking the mantle away from Paramount)! I mean, it's one thing for the studio to keep churning out those awful torture-porn flicks, but it really is going over the line when the one good movie the studio happens to have made in a long time gets shunted into theatres with a half-hearted marketing effort (I know it debuted it at the top of the box office, but a weekend haul of $14 million is much less than what the film deserved). The acting is superb throughout (Fonda, Tudyk, Foster), the action is solid (if disappointingly unspectacular), and the interplay between the leads is fantastic. Crowe has fun with his role while also adding in some surprisingly sympathetic elements (hard to do while still keeping that hint of real menace). But it's Bale who really steals the show. Somehow, he makes something out of what would otherwise have been a stolid do-gooder stock character, and steals the movie from right under Crowe's nose. Bale has been on a tear recently with a string of superb performances in little-seen movies since Batman Begins (The New World; The Prestige ; Rescue Dawn; Harsh Times), but here's hoping 2008 will be a real break-out year for the man with The Dark Knight (mark your calendars: 18 July 2008!) and a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Bottom Line: Theatres – First Week
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): 3:10 to Yuma (1957); The New World ; The Prestige; Rescue Dawn; Harsh Times
One to Watch: Viggo and Cronenberg Reunited (And It Feels So Good)
Eastern Promises
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vincent Cassel (a.k.a. Mr. Monica Bellucci)
Plot: An unsuspecting midwife becomes entangled with the Russian mafia after she tries to discover the true identity of a dead woman. Hopefully-she-can-hold-her-vodka type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: I have to admit, I am a bit of a newcomer to the Cronenberg oeuvre (with Dead Ringers being the only film from his "classic" era that I made the mistake of watching….creepy), so I didn't exactly rush out to theatres to catch A History of Violence. But, The Better Half insisted, and so I dragged myself all the way to Pasadena and boy, was I glad I did (great movie). Then, I realized that she had also loved all The Lord of the Rings movies, Hidalgo, 28 Days and A Perfect Murder. Oh dear, was The Better Half a dedicated fan of our man Mortensen?
Bottom Line: The Better Half and Other Fans of Viggo Mortensen: Theatres – First Week; Me, and Other Jealous Spouses: Never!
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): A History of Violence; Spider; Dead Ringers
One to Consider: The First of the Fall's Many Iraq War Movies
In the Valley of Elah
Directed by: Paul Haggis
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, James Franco, Josh Brolin
Plot: A father uncovers a major military conspiracy when he tries to find the truth about his son's death in Iraq. Any-resemblance-to-the-tragic-Pat-Tillman-story-is-purely-coincidental type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: True story: Apparently director Haggis approached Clint Eastwood for the lead role in this film, only to be told that Clint had retired…from acting (the indefatigable man is currently hard at work prepping to direct The Changeling with Angelina Jolie). The word is that while Jones, Theron, Sarandon (in one of her three movies in this edition of the Guide…talk about being indefatigable), Franco, Brolin, and the rest of the cast are stellar, the movie itself is less so. Me, I'm more excited about the other Fall drama with Oscar aspirations starring Jones and Brolin: No Country For Old Men (directed by The Coen Brothers and starring the incredible Javier Bardem).
Bottom Line: Theatres – Eventually
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Three Kings; M*A*S*H; Catch-22
Ones to Consider: The Little Films Fighting For Shelf Space
The Hunting Party
Directed by: Richard Shepard
Starring: Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Jesse Eisenberg, James Brolin, Diane Kruger
Plot: A cynical, burned-out war reporter drags his crew on a mission to find a notorious Bosnian Serb warlord. Talk-about-taking-your-work-too-seriously type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: I like Gere, especially when he plays the kind of flippant, charmingly arrogant so-and-so character he does here. Now, director Shepard is admittedly a bit of a concern (I liked his previous film – The Matador – more than I really should have); but you have the added presence of the always-reliable (and imminently ubiquitous) Howard, and well, how can I say no? I just wished they had kept the original title: Spring Break in Bosnia.
Bottom Line: Me, and Others Who Like Their Wars Presented with a Healthy Dose of Dark Humor: Theatres – Eventually; Other, More Hopeful People: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Welcome to Sarajevo; No Man's Land; The Killing Fields
King of California
Directed by: Michael Cahill
Starring: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood
Plot: A recently released inmate of an sanitarium tries to talk his estranged daughter into joining him on a quest to find buried treasure. Don't-you-hate-it-when-your-folks-drop-in-unexpectedly-for-a-visit? type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: I know, we were all a little saddened to hear that Douglas had agreed to a do a sequel to Wall Street, especially since Oliver Stone (of all people) had the good sense to stay away. On the other hand, he ends up finally turning in a great performance after all these years and the movie gets shunted on to a handful of screens…well, you really can't blame him can you? Though, I have to admit, they did get one thing right about that sequel, the title: Greed is Good. Boy, is it ever!
Bottom Line: Those Who Can Find It In Theatres: Theatres – Eventually; Other, Less Intrepid Souls: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Wall Street; Fatal Attraction; Romancing the Stone
In the Shadow of the Moon
Directed by: David Sington
Starring: Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Alan Bean, Gene Cernan, et al…but not Neil Armstrong
Plot: A documentary profiles all the men who have walked on the moon. Wasn't-the-moon-landing-faked-in-a-Burbank-soundstage? type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Apparently Armstrong rarely talks about his epochal small step in public, which probably explains his absence in this documentary. On the other hand, how do you explain him showing up at the Google announcement of the Lunar X PRIZE? Oh, I think I can find about 25 million reasons…
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): 2001: A Space Odyssey; Sunshine; A Walk on the Moon
Ones to Consider: What Actors Really Want to Do is Direct
Romance & Cigarettes
Directed by: John Turturro
Starring: James Gandolfini, Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Mandy Moore, Eddie Izzard, Bobby Cannavale, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, and the always glorious Elaine Stritch
Plot: A musical about the tribulations of a working-class New Jersey man caught cheating by his wife. Maybe-that-whole-Jersey-Boys-Sopranos-Emmy-tribute-wasn't-such-a-bad-idea-after-all type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: With a cast so chock-full of names, you are almost obligated to watch this movie…on Netflix (where it should be arriving any second now).
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Singin' in the Rain; West Side Story; Grease
Fierce People
Directed by: Griffin Dunne
Starring: Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Perkins, Chris Evans, Anton Yelchin
Plot: An aspiring anthropologist finds himself studying a tribe of a very different sort when he and his mother are forced to live with a rich family in a elite enclave over the summer. They-should've-come-to-Orange-County type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: See above.
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The Great Gatsby; Gosford Park; The Rules of the Game (1939)
I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With
Directed by: Jeff Garlin
Starring: Jeff Garlin, Sarah Silverman, Bonnie Hunt, Amy Sedaris, Gina Gershon
Plot: An overweight comedian tries to find the love of his love. Something-tells-me-this-is-semi-autobiographical type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: I can't believe I finally get HBO while Curb Your Enthusiasm is in season and I still haven't managed to watch the season premiere.
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Marty; Heavy; The Nutty Professor (1996)
Movies
The Brave One
Directed by: Neil Jordan
Starring: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews
Plot: A woman tries to stay ahead of the police after turning to a life of vigilantism following a brutal attack. The-only-way-to-remake-Death-Wish-and-not-call-it-a-remake-is-to-swap-genders type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Foster is one of those rare movie stars out there whose mere presence is a guarantee of high quality. What about Flightplan and Panic Room you say? Well, the poor girl has to make some money so she can go out and make Inside Man…and A Very Long Engagement… and Contact …and Nell…and Maverick…and Sommersby…and Little Man Tate…and The Silence of the Lambs …and The Accused…and Taxi Driver…and, of course, classics like Freaky Friday (1976) and Bugsy Malone.
Bottom Line: Me and Other Fans of Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, and Neil Jordan: Theatres – Eventually; Other People: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Death Wish; Falling Down; Straw Dogs
Mr. Woodcock
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott, Susan Sarandon
Plot: A successful self-help guru returns home to stop his mother from marrying the gym teacher who made his life a living h*ll in high school. Talk-about-a-boy's-worst-nightmare type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: There was a fledgling film-type just itching to become a full-on genre unto itself: The Billy-Bob-Thornton-playing-a-Type-A-macho-man-beating-back-a-younger-less-established-comedic-star Comedy. With the demise of both School for Scoundrels and this film at the box office, it looks like Thornton may have to start stretching himself a little bit.
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Bad Santa; A Simple Plan; Sling Blade
December Boys
Directed by: Rod Hardy
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe
Plot: Four Australian orphans try to enjoy the summer break only to find out one of them may be adopted. Where's-Dumbledore-when-you-need-him? type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Look, I know, we are all a little tired of Harry Potter, but I think Radcliffe can act. This astounding observation is based on his excellent guest turn in Extras as…himself, so you may want to take that with a grain of salt. .
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Silk
Directed by: François Girard
Starring: Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Alfred Molina
Plot: A young French military officer must leave his new wife behind when he makes a perilous journey to Japan to find silkworm eggs. A-dedicated-follower-of-fashion type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: The fact that a high-brow, literary, continent-hopping, costume drama with recognizable stars would be so unceremoniously dumped right at the start of Oscar-baiting season is reason enough to be wary, very wary.
Bottom Line: Pass
Other Movies to Check Out (instead): The Red Violin; Like Water for Chocolate ; Memoirs of a Geisha
Dragon Wars: D-War
Directed by: Hyung-rae Shim
Starring: Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster
Plot: A couple find themselves in the middle of a centuries-old war pitting two dragon armies against each other. This-might-be-a-perfect-time-to-have-that-it's-not-you-it's-me-talk type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Every boy loves dragons – just not of the cheap South Korean-CGI kind.
Bottom Line: Me, and Others Into This Kind of Junk: DVD; Other, Much More Sensible People: Pass
Other Movies to Check Out (instead): Dragonheart; Reign of Fire; Dragonslayer
The Brothers Solomon
Directed by: Bob Odenkirk
Starring: Will Arnett, Will Forte, Jenna Fischer, Chi McBride, Lee Majors, Kristen Wiig
Plot: Two loser brothers try to extend the family lineage before their father dies. Sometimes-evolution-doesn't-work type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Okay, so we all loved Arnett as George Oscar "Gob" Bluth II in the brilliant and short-lived (which, in broadcast television, almost goes without saying) Arrested Development. But really, that is no excuse for headlining movies like this and Let's Go to Prison.
Bottom Line: Pass
Other Movies to Check Out (instead): The 40 Year-Old Virgin; Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy; Wedding Crashers
A Top 3 Film I Really Should Have Seen in 2006
The Lives of Others
The Top 10 Movies of 2007
Ratatouille [Tie]
Sunshine [Tie]
3:10 To Yuma (new entry)
SiCKO
The Bourne Ultimatum
300
Zodiac
Hairspray
La Vie en Rose
Eklavya
Shoot 'Em Up (new entry)
Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
No End in Sight
Deep Water
Rescue Dawn
Superbad
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2 Days in Paris
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Stardust
Death at a Funeral
The Devil Came on Horseback