Surfing Channels with Cubbison

Lifelong moviemaker/lover/protector, Cameron Cubbison has been writing consistently for Poptimal.com since its inception, contributing more than 150 pieces on all things film and tv. He has been published in several film journals and has worked on film and video shoots all over the country.

A longtime resident of both Colorado and Washington D.C., Cameron currently lives in Boston, where he is finishing his final year studying film at Emerson College. He is writing his senior thesis on how the Rambo films blend frontier mythology, cultural revisionism and the structural and archetypal elements of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces. He’s hoping Sylvester Stallone will read it and offer Cameron a job working on the next Rambo movie.

Cameron is also putting together his first feature, an action movie about a military washout and a construction worker who get into all kinds of trouble trying to help an illegal alien find her missing sister. Investors are welcome!

By this time next year he will be a permanent resident of L.A  He loves dogs (especially his Chihuahua Chaco, who doesn’t wear sissy outfits and is as tough as they come), detective novels, Batman, Scooby-Doo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Darkwing Duck and eating cold Chinese food in his bathrobe.

He will never watch Donnie Darko no matter how many people tell him to, and is deeply chagrined by what reality television, texting and online social networks are doing to America. Some of his idols are Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, Christopher Nolan, and Humphrey Bogart.

When he’s not making/watching/reading/writing about movies, Cameron enjoys rock climbing, camping, pogo stick riding, amateur boxing and martial arts, and pretending that he’s still in the same shape he was in during the ten years he spent as a competitive gymnast.

His favorite movie genres: action, Westerns, and crime dramas.

His favorite tv genres: procedurals and dramas.

His current coverage: House, Bones, Dollhouse, Chuck, and The Amazing Race.

In his own words—Cameron’s thoughts on . . .

The Decline Of The Modern American Action Movie: Most of them aren’t about people anymore. They’re rather soulless enterprises that have forsaken character development and themes for big honkin’ visual effects. And they’ve tossed credibility right out the window, they’ve just gotten too big, too ridiculous, too far-fetched. Lethal Weapon was about real, evolving people with complex emotions and inner conflict, as was First Blood and Die Hard and Cliffhanger and Face/Off. Even flogging boy Michael Bay used to care about characters (as in The Rock and Armageddon) before the money went to his head. Action movies need to get back to their original core values: real people doing real stunts in extraordinary situations. I hope to help nurse the genre back to health.

Defending Kevin Costner: I’ve actually gotten into fistfights over the years defending him and the choices he has made. I think he is a real class act and a criminally underappreciated talent. He has a sort of Zen stillness to him; he communicates so much about his characters just by how he moves. Look at how much you learn about his characters and what they’re going through in The Bodyguard and For Love of The Game just through his eyes. He reminds me of Gary Cooper and Steve McQueen—just real cool, decent guys. And he’s the only superstar who never made a paycheck movie. He’s never made a single sequel; he never tried to cash in on a franchise. Passion drives every choice he makes both as an actor and a first-class filmmaker. He was weaned on the epic film, and he loves to make lengthy narratives that give the characters time to develop. It’s not his fault if people don’t have attention spans.

The Lack of Any Worthy Young Stars: Orlando Bloom, Tobey Maguire, Ewan McGregor, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zac what’s his name…they’re all pretty boys and they have no juice. I can’t stand any of them. This new generation of so-called stars can’t hold a candle to any of my guys.

Why Westerns Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Die: The Old West, the frontier days . . . they weren’t just a period in our history that is receding further and further into the past. The frontier was a state of mind that is still so important to who we are as Americans. The West was about self-reliance, it was about packing a saddlebag, mounting a horse and changing your life. They’re not just history lessons, they’re an exciting and still ripe with potential form for making movies. They were the first action movies in a lot of ways.

Why You Shouldn’t Go With The Flow: I’ve always thought that was a really dumb saying. In any movie, when a character falls into a river, do they come to the surface and smile and say they’ll just go with the flow? No! They start paddling like hell in the other direction, against the current. You go with the flow long enough, you either go over a waterfall into a pit of jagged rocks, or the sewer.

Ten Favorite Movies In No Particular Order: Rocky, Lethal Weapon, In The Line of Fire, Dances With Wolves, Die Hard, As Good As It Gets, North by Northwest, Batman Begins, Man on Fire, Open Range.

You can read Cameron’s articles here.

Read about last week’s Featured Writer: Jaimie Campos

Heroes: Clean Slate

“A broken vessel. An empty shell. What is a man without a mind? Without memory? A ghost? A body in search of a soul? With no compass to guide us, how can we know if our destiny is to seek the good or obey the demons that whisper in our ear? The blank slate hungers to be written upon. The body thrives when the heart has a mission.”

Booya Mohinder! Get paper and a pen and take some notes from the new master, Samuel. That is how a voice over should be done. Your accent will get you points, but you still have to bring something else to the table. While Sylar was on a search for his memories, Peter and Noah searched for a boy who could heal Hiro’s brain tumor. And with Peter on a mission, Hiro helped Emma search for understanding when it comes to her new powers.

All that searching isn’t surprising after all that acceptance last week, and it makes a lot of sense when you consider the week’s title, “Tabula Rasa”. When you watch as much TV as I do, you see a lot of episode titles, and “Tabula Rasa” is right up there with “ChChChChanges” in the amount of appearances it makes. Already, I’m thinking of shows with episodes that share the same title like Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Law & Order. So, a tabula rasa symbolizes a blank slate. It’s time for our characters to move forward and start building on these clear palates of theirs. And with how good this week’s episode is, I think Heroes gets a clean slate as well. (At least in my book.)

“It’s been a long time since I’ve teleported.” – Peter
Peter and Hiro see fate in different ways. Peter thinks that, being an ex-hospice nurse/paramedic, maybe there’s a reason the dying Hiro came to his apartment, but Hiro thinks that maybe it’s Peter who could benefit from Hiro’s time traveling abilities. Elsewhere in the hospital, Emma’s worried that something is wrong with her powers, but Peter tells her it’ll get easier. He suggests that Emma talk to Hiro if she has questions since he needs to go on a mission to save his friend’s life.

Peter pops in (really he pops into the bathroom) and clues Noah and Claire into what’s going on with Hiro. They track down a boy that Noah remembers from his “bag and tag” days named Jeremy. Unfortunately, what they find is a lot of death instead of the life they’re looking for. After killing both his parents, Jeremy is convinced that he can only bring death, but Noah knows that there are many more facets to an ability. It’s a little tough to reason with the kid since he welcomes them with a shotgun, but Noah continues to try to calm him down.

Noah almost assures him, but Peter teleports in and shocks Jeremy, causing the kid to pull the trigger. Peter freezes time, with a look on his face of pure elation, until he realizes that the bullet has already gone through his body. (The visual is so sick. I had to rewind and watch it again.) Noah starts to come down hard on Jeremy, telling him to trust him and that he can heal if he visualizes it and just tries, and of course, he can and does. After healing, Peter makes sure to get Jeremy’s power and zips off to Hiro, leaving Noah to stay with Jeremy and giving him an opportunity to apologize for letting him (and many others like him) down.

“We need to jump start the real Sylar, wake the sleeping lion.” – Samuel
A la carnivale, we learn that Lydia’s pretty intuitive. After hearing tales of Sylar, Samuel wonders what’s happened to him. The man and the myth just aren’t matching up. Lydia suggests that it’s as if there are two sides of him at war with each other. Samuel realizes that Sylar doesn’t know his own names and asks that he spend the day with him and his people. He asks him to ask what the first name that pops into his head is. Sylar? Gabriel? But he asks Samuel to call him Nathan.

As Samuel shows him around, pointing out that there are other people who are “special” like him, Samuel introduces Sylar to Lydia. As he shakes her hand, he gets a flash that he may have been a politician since he remembers shaking a lot of hands. (The war is on!) While he’s finishing the tour with Lydia (seeing Sylar all smiles and giggles is incredibly strange!), Samuel ponders that things are really wrong with the man who’s supposed to be a ruthless renegade. He realizes Sylar’s memories are coming back, but they’re the wrong ones.

Setting a plan into motion, Samuel invites Captain Lubbock to the carnival with his family. He believes that if Lubbock sees Sylar, it’ll force them into a kill or be killed situation and that will force the real Sylar out. He also introduces Sylar to Damien, a man who can unlock the mind. Damien takes Sylar into the House of Mirrors where we and Sylar witness a fast-forward version of his past. Basically since Sylar has killed a lot of people, we get to see a lot of people get scalped. It may be old news to us, but Sylar is so disgusted that he pukes.

Like most people, he doesn’t want to believe that he was a killer or that he could still be one. Samuel brings divine fate into the picture, saying that Sylar was brought into their family because the outside world created that person he saw, and at the carnival, they will love him for who he truly is. And he could help protect them as well. Samuel warns Sylar about Lubbock and asks him to take care of it. But Sylar’s still not his old self just yet, he can’t bring himself to kill Lubbock and tells him to run, only to instinctually (muscle memory) shock him with electricity when Lubbock won’t lower his gun.

It almost ignites something inside of him, and for a second, I thought he’d take the kill, but he just walks away. Waiting in the wings is Edgar, who doesn’t take a breath before slicing Lubbock down. Edgar can’t hide his frustration from Samuel at the fact that Sylar is still acting like a tame kitten (and that he‘s getting Lydia‘s attention), but Samuel encourages him to have faith. That they will make a better Sylar, shaped by their beliefs.

“Abracadabra!” – Hiro
Now, I never thought Hiro would wait around for Peter to get back, but he did hang out long enough to impact our new character Emma. (Everyone who meets Hiro just falls in love, and that’s no surprise.) And though in the end he time travels to the Burnt Toast Diner to see Charlie before her death in the end, he took the time to use his powers and put on a magic show for some sick kids. By doing this, he shows Emma a potential side of her powers that she hasn’t yet envisioned, using them to do something good and help the world. It really was a cute storyline but just not as exciting as the prior two. It did bring us a little closer to Emma though.

WRAP IT UP
Overall, this was a fantastic episode. I paused midway through just to acknowledge to a friend just how great it was. It’s been a long time since Peter interacted with Noah and Claire and then met up with Hiro who he introduces to a new hero. And Sylar is in abilities playland. Never once has there been so many potentially awesome, abilities-fueled fights and possible interactions with periphery characters with powers. Already at the carnival this week, we saw a guy make things disappear and Sylar and Edgar in a sweet, powers battle. And it’s only episode six! I’m actually terrified of the idea that a really ticked off, fully recovered Sylar could wake up in this smorgasbord-of-powers carnival. Only time will tell, and I’ve got one foot back on the bandwagon.

Season 4, Episodes 6: Tabula Rasa (originally aired October 19, 2009)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and IMDbPro

Gossip Girl: All About Eve, Not All About Steve

An excellent episode of Gossip Girl tonight, even if Dorota is absent.  And what makes this episode so good, why a simple plot of deception, double-crossing, and scheming by the entire cast.  Frankly, this is the only reason why I watch the show. Oh and Chuck goes bisexual for Blair.  Let the games begin!

We begin with an old video that’s actually a fantasy dream of Blair’s creation, in which Vanessa is being honored as a distinguished alumna of NYU.  She jumps out of her All About Eve dream and is terrified that she’s Bette Davis instead of her usual role as understudy for Anne Baxter.  She won’t tell Chuck about Vanessa, but he has confidence that she’ll soon rule the school of NYU.

Serena chats with Nate at campaign headquarters for his cousin Tripp’s run for office.  They’re talking about Carter’s debt to the Buckleys and something about flying him to an off-coast oil rig to work.  Anyway, Nate has an idea–he wants to play a poker game with the Buckleys to free Carter.  He recently learned all of their “tells” and thinks he can win.  Of course he’ll need Serena’s help.

At the loft, they’re talking about Rufus’s Welcome Back, Kotter mugs and Jenny’s reading a school newspaper article hyping Vanessa’s rising star at NYU. She’s up for an award–being asked to give a toast–at the parents’ freshmen weekend dinner and is wondering whether to invite her yet-unseen parents.  Rufus thinks Dan should invite Olivia since she’s back from Japan; Dan isn’t so sure it’s time for her to meet his family, but he asks her to go and she agrees to meet his parents.  And Blair is pissed to learn that Vanessa is outshining her and wants to write the perfect toast in case she’s selected.  Of course, Olivia has her own plan and calls the alumni coordinator to accept the offer to give the freshmen toast–and she’s keeping it a surprise from Dan.  Blair finds out about the selected toastmaster and is going to plot something, beginning when she tells Vanessa that Olivia is giving the toast, not her.  Let the fireworks begin!

First up, Vanessa tries to manipulate Dan into getting Olivia to not attend the toast (so Vanessa will be able to give the toast).  She lies to Dan about Olivia being too nervous about meeting Dan’s parents and suggests Dan spend a quiet night with Vanessa.  Dan buys it.  Back at the dorm, Vanessa learns that Olivia is backing out and she’s giving the toast.  That’s one out of the way for Blair, who’s moving on to phase two of her plan.

But first, a nice game of Texas Hold’em.  Nate and Serena walk into the Buckleys’ game and announce Serena is going to play.  She loses the first game and ups the ante by offering to play for Carter, even though his debt is a lot more than she’s showing (whatever that means).  Nate offers an incriminating photo of Tripp that will allegedly cost Tripp the election (he’s rocking the ganja, so that’s only a problem if he’s not a Democrat).  The game begins and quickly ends with a loss for Serena, meaning “Carter’s going down to Texas and Tripp’s career is going up in smoke.”  But not really, the photo’s a fake but Nate’s keeping this news from Serena.

After the break, we meet Vanessa’s mother played by Gina Torres!  They’re making a social call to meet Lily, who tries to compliment the mother on Vanessa’s success at NYU and gets some hippie nonsense about the evils of paying for education.  Whatever, it’s Gina Torres, she’s awesome . . . at least until she talks about Olivia being a shallow actress and something about how sugar is awful for people.  Vanessa gets a break from apologizing for her mother when Olivia calls to ask why Dan changed his mind about Olivia meeting his parents.  Vanessa digs a bigger hole for herself (and sort of for Dan) as she gets caught in her web of lies.  It doesn’t work because Olivia tells Dan that she’d like to go to the parents’ dinner.

At a bar, Blair and Chuck are reprising their summer plan.  The alumni guy is there and I think Chuck’s going to make a move on him.  Oh I’m right because the guy is stroking Chuck’s hair and then they’re kissing while Blair watches.  She interrupts and reminds him of their deal: if she gets him to kiss Chuck, he’ll let her have the toast.  (Apparently, a kiss from Chuck Bass is on some Tribeca scavenger hunt.)  Chuck suspects something’s up because Blair didn’t stop him before the kiss; she plays it off as nothing.  Anyway, it looks like Blair wins this round, and Chuck’s suspenders are definitely bi-curious.

And now for our weekly party!  Blair tells Vanessa that Vanessa is not giving the speech; Vanessa asks for mercy because her mother is there, but Blair doesn’t care.  Dan and Olivia walk in and meet Rufus and Lily, but Olivia, thinking Dan’s parents don’t like actresses (per Vanessa), is rude and obnoxious to them.  Dan pulls Olivia aside and it comes out that Vanessa played them off of each other.

Meanwhile, Chuck learns how Blair used him, which sends one of Blair’s minions off to warn Blair.  But Blair’s busy telling off Vanessa . . . and everyone at NYU.  You see Vanessa had a live microphone in her hand, broadcasting Blair’s elitist bile to all of the guests.  Oh no, goes Blair.  And “oh no” goes Vanessa, when she sees Dan there with Olivia.  Vanessa tries to apologize to Olivia and Dan for her double-crossing and says she wishes Rufus and Lily were her parents.  Of course Vanessa’s mother walks in and hears this last part, which leads to an intense moment of her mother warning Vanessa about what “this place” is doing to her.

Dan explains everything to Rufus and Lily, with an apologetic Olivia.  They get interrupted when Olivia is asked to give the freshmen toast, as Blair and Vanessa look on and know their machinations led to nothing good.  We don’t get to hear the speech and cut to the van der Woodsen apartment where everyone is enjoying ice cream and the Welcome Back, Kotter mugs.

In other icy situations, Chuck’s heartbroken over Blair’s deception and refuses to see her; and Vanessa’s mother leaves without saying goodbye to Vanessa.  Since Vanessa and Blair are alone, they decide to be alone together.

And what of the high rolling Nate and Serena?  Nate admits to using Serena to discredit the Buckleys’ campaign against Tripp.  Serena alerts the Buckleys and they agree to erase Carter’s debt.  She tells Carter but he refuses and leaves for the oil rig.

Next week: A very Gossip Girl Halloween.

Listen to The J Factor with J.B. and Jaimie here or on iTunes.

Season 3, Episode 6: Enough about Eve (originally aired October 19, 2009)

For more on Gossip Girl, click here.

Mondays at 8/7C, The CW

Photographs courtesy of The CW, Giovanni Rufino

Big Apple Comic Con: Little Geek Haven

Wizard World’s Big Apple Comic Con came to New York this past weekend, and if you’re a fan of comics and the Con’s celebrity guests, you were in for a nice, quiet treat.

Significantly smaller than New York Comic Con, BACC focuses more on comic books and their fans, with a broad array of talent in the Artists Alley and a large vendor floor for comic book and toy shopping. As hosted by Wizard World, this makes sense – they’re in the business of comics, not in the business of promoting movies and television. Picture your local comic book store and then amplify the size of it by ten or so. That same shopping experience existed at Manhattan’s Pier 94, but with a few extra benefits.

Comics and associated paraphernalia (toys, figures, art, etc.) could be appraised or sold to vendors at dedicated booths. There was limited video game play, though Nintendo (the most recognizable name next to William Shatner) welcomed its guests with helpful attendants and plenty of opportunity to play the new Super Mario, Punchout and Zelda games, among others. Up and comers Concrete Immortalz met visitors just inside the door to promote their new comic.

What BACC does better than NYCC is allow interaction with celebrity guests.  As a result of a smaller venue and crowds (and possibly, smaller celebrity names), fans were able to see the majority of BACC’s guests from just a few feet away (but any unauthorized photo taking of Nichelle Nichols resulted in an immediate verbal putdown. Lady is fierce.). And if you’re a fan of sci-fi, especially the classic stuff, this year’s convention had some great movie and television guests: Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Julie Newmar, Adam West, Lou Ferrigno, William Shatner (William f—ing Shatner!), Nichols, Herb Jefferson, Jr., Kate Mulgrew, John Billingsley, Linda Hamilton, Billy Dee Williams, and members of the BSG cast. With the opportunity to wait on short lines and walk up to almost any guest, fans could chat with their favorite stars, take photographs, and pay for autographs. Top dogs like Shatner, Mulgrew and Brent Spiner only appeared for fans at designated intervals (I never caught a glimpse of Shatner myself), but there were plenty of other celebrities to keep everyone occupied.

Because not only were comic book stars and sci-fi celebrities in attendance, stars from the most random genres were all over this place. Wrestlers such as Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff took photos with fans; baseballers: Doc Gooden, Pete Rose, and Yogi Berra represented; and Christopher Knight and wife Adrienne Curry inexplicably landed their own booth across from a BBQ vendor. The Duke Brothers also met with fans and attended a panel for a Dukes reunion. This was, without doubt, one of the craziest line-ups of guests I’ve ever seen. Naughty by Nature (yes…the OPP guys) and Taylor Dayne provided entertainment at the after parties on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively. And if you can’t’ see the humor in that, I’ll never be able to explain it to you.

Though Marvel and DC did not promote their brands by hosting booths, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada did conduct a panel about his work and Marvel’s upcoming projects. Other comic legends Jim Lee and Neal Adams also spoke to fans at different panels and were scheduled for autograph signings.

In particular, I visited two panels – one, a Q&A with Kate Mulgrew, and the other, a Q&A with stars of Battlestar Galactica. Mulgrew was charming, entertaining, panned her viewing of Oleanna the night before, and couldn’t be happier to answer questions from the audience. She admitted to not having seen the new Star Trek movie. As a captain for seven years, the show was a large part of her life, and there’s no rush to watch someone else tackle command.

She also spoke about her role as an inspiration for women, especially female scientists who saw Janeway as another option – women could lead in a science driven field, not simply sit back in research positions. She spoke passionately about her new gig on Mercy, and the opportunity to explore Alzheimer’s as part of her storyline (Mulgrew is a national spokesperson for the Alzheimer’s Association). Despite Voyager ending eight years ago, she happily shared anecdotes from the show and production, including her insistence to keep the relationship between Janeway and Chakotay platonic, and how good friend Robert Picardo started with her on day one, and stayed “there to the bitter end,” greeting her when she finished her last solo takes after the series wrapped production.

During the BSG panel, cast members Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Rekha Sharma, and Luciana Carro discussed the season finale and, amidst teasing and easy camaraderie, answered questions from the audience. Most notably, Carro learned of her character’s death not from the producers, but when her roommate read the script and informed her over the phone (oops!). Hogan would be willing to revisit his character for further exploration, while the others seemed less inclined to do so. Hogan also spoke in glowing terms of Edward James Olmos as director, and spoke even more highly of composer Bear McCreary’s work on the show. Douglas spoke for the group as he (politely) criticized the Syfy network for their abysmal promotion and scheduling of the show (as prompted by a fan, who agreed with Douglas).  As for upcoming projects, Sharma will appear briefly in the upcoming V remake; Hogan just wrapped a guest appearance on Psych; Carro will appear on Caprica, but not as Kat (no further details provided); and Douglas moves to CBS for The Bridge. Collectively, they could not explain how Cylons were created or how they age (or don’t). I think the only person who may know is Perlow, but he wasn’t there to explain.

But back to celebrities that make you go hmmm … could I pass up an opportunity to talk with a former contestant of the Celebrity Apprentice? Well, yes, I could because I’ve passed up an opportunity to talk to Stephen Baldwin (and wouldn’t you?). However, one of my favorites from last season, Brande Roderick, had a booth at BACC. She looked fabulous, and loved her time on the Apprentice. “It was a lot of fun, but exhausting. We worked six days a week for five weeks.” However, she welcomes the opportunity to raise money for her charity, XXX, so she would participate in a similar venture any time. And as for Joan’s win, “it is what it is,” but “Annie’s the one that deserved it.”

And listeners of The J Factor will note that I’m a fan of Warehouse 13, so I took a moment to speak with one of the shows leads, Joanne Kelly, about her character, Myka. Though not a fan of the sci-fi genre, Kelly grew up a fan of fantasy novels, citing Tolkien and David Eddings as favorite authors. But now that she’s here, she’s enjoying her time on Syfy’s breakout hit. Her favorite episode so far is “Duped” because of the opportunity to play multiple characters and the challenge that represented. She’s open to what the writers have in store for Myka, saying, “You know you’ve got a good job when you’re excited when the script comes under the door and you don’t dread reading it … I can’t wait to see what they came up with.”  As for Myka’s growth in season one, “I was interested in showing the cracks in her façade.”  Next season, “I’m going to loosen her up a little bit … It’s hard to go in every day … and stick a giant stick up my ass.”

So, is the Big Apple Comic Con worth attending? If you’re a fan of comic books, yes – the Shopping Alley is worth a visit if you need to supplement your collection, and the crowds are never so overwhelming to keep you from browsing. The talent in the Artists’ Alley is also worth a peek. I recommend checking out the line-up of celebrities first if that’s more your thing – if you find a favorite, you will have a chance to meet anyone in attendance (I recommend Friday afternoon, when the crowds are even smaller but most of the celebrities are still around with plenty of time on their hands). The panels, though fewer in number and variety, also consist of smaller but eager crowds. You might have to fight someone for a seat in the first row, but there’s no need to line up an hour (or two or three) in advance, and the atmosphere is a little more casual, from the fans to the celebrities. I think it helps that the majority of people weren’t in costume (though of course, there’s always a few) – this isn’t the spectacle that NYCC and SDCC are. If you don’t mind the lack of glitz and glamour, BACC is worth visiting. Although I’d be careful before spending money on a three day pass. It’s not that big.

White Collar Giveaway

As you know, Poptimal.com is psyched for the new USA Network Series White Collar’s premiere.  Whether it has been interviews with the actors and writers or  visiting to the set in New York we think this may be one of this Fall’s pleasant surprises to watch.

In celebrating the premiere, we are having the following giveaway. (No Purchase Necessary; Open only to U.S. residents, 18 yrs of age or older)

To solve the hardest crimes, hire the smartest criminal! USA NETWORK’s new series, White Collar, premieres Friday, October 23 at 10pm/9c. WHITE COLLAR, stars Matt Bomer (“Chuck,” “Tru Calling”), Tim DeKay (“Tell Me You Love Me,” “Carnivàle”), Tiffani Thiessen (“What About Brian,” “Fastlane”) and Willie Garson (“Sex and the City,” “John from Cincinnati”). WHITE COLLAR is about the most unlikely of partnerships between a con artist and an FBI agent.  The story unfolds after charming criminal mastermind Neal Caffrey (Bomer) is caught by his nemesis, G-Man extraordinaire Peter Burke (DeKay).  Rather than returning to jail for this daring getaway, Neal suggests an alternate plan – providing his expertise to assist the Feds in putting away infamous and elusive criminals in return for his freedom.  Join us online: Official Site, Facebook Fan Page, and Twitter.

One Grand Prize Winner will receive The White Collar Ultimate Gentlemen’s Bag!

Inspired by Neal Caffrey’s classic style and taste for luxury, the Ultimate Gentleman’s Bag features a collection of sophisticated essentials that will delight both male and female stylemakers alike.  Neal himself will want to get his hands on this bag, the perfect accessory for fall.

• • Portolano Cashmere Scarf
  • Links of London Leather Credit Card Case
  • Striped Pajama Pants
  • Kiehl’s Crème with Silk Groom
  • La Maison Du Chocolat Truffles
  • Two Cotton Pocket Squares
  • Thomas Pink Custom Collar Stays
  • Stainless Steel Flask
  • 4-Piece Manicure Set
  • Six-in-One Game Set
  • The Modern Gentleman
  • Neal’s Little Black Book
  • Set of Cufflinks
  • White Collar T-Shir

Two Winners will receive a White Collar Gift Bag!

• • Six-in-One Game Set
  • The Modern Gentleman
  • Neal’s Little Black Book
  • White Collar T-Shirt

How to win:

Simply send us an email to Contests@poptimal.com with the following information:

Name
Mailing Address (No P.O. Box)
Email (Make sure to include “White Collar” in the subject line)
Phone Number
Question:  What Poptimal.com writer recently visited the set of White Collar? (Hint)

That’s  it.  Good Luck!!

Grey’s Anatomy: There’s a Fungus Among Us

Big changes are underway at Seattle Grace, which is besieged by the Mercy West staff due to the merger.  Easily distinguishable by their orange scrubs, the MW folks are a new breed.  It was hard enough competing with one another for surgeries, but now the residents have twice the competition as they all vie for opportunities.  I really like this new storyline and the convenient way we can point out the newcomers.  Meredith is recovering from her liver surgery, and begins the episode as omniscient narrator, describing the process by which humans become infected with viruses, their bodies invaded by bacteria.  As she outlines this process we see the MW docs milling around in their orange scrubs, invading Seattle Grace.  The analogy is one that runs throughout the episode as the Seattle Grace docs try to survive the invasion.  Izzie befriends a newcomer named Charles, only to find out that he’s trashing her behind her back, bragging that she’s his “surgical bitch” and that he has her wrapped around his finger.  The other residents are fighting tooth and nail over patients on a one-on-one basis.  They each have an individual adversary.  Alex competes with a doctor named Reid, and their patient suffers while they bicker in an endless effort to one-up each other.  After they each make crucial mistakes they finally begin to work together.  Cristina is particularly peeved as Owen takes a liking to a new resident named Avery who carves out a unique niche in the ER when he saves a patient’s life in a most unconventional manner: by tackling his would-be hammer-wielding killer before he can strike a fatal blow.

Personal problems always intertwine with professional ones, and although Callie has her job back, she has to deal with her father who has reappeared in an effort to redeem Callie for her perceived sin of being gay.  This (understandably) does not go over well initially, but the pair manages to find common ground after Arizona astutely explains to Callie that she’s the one who has changed while her father has remained constant.  Callie should give him a little more leeway in his acceptance of her lifestyle.

Callie is having a rough day, but the award for Worst Day Ever goes to Izzie, who has effed up royally.  Considering the various debacles that have taken place at Seattle Grace, this is no small feat.  She and Charles are responsible for a young woman who is due to receive a kidney transplant she’s been patiently awaiting for three years.  Izzie allows her anger at Charlie to distract her, and she carelessly makes an error that not only nearly costs the patient her life, but renders her unable to receive the transplant.  This is a colossal blunder of epic proportions and it ends up costing Izzie her job.  Her dismissal isn’t merely related to this mistake though.  Other doctors have expressed reservations about her readiness to return to surgical work, including Alex – who inadvertently sabotaged her by acknowledging these potential misgivings in an effort to persuade the Chief to retain her at the beginning of the episode.  The Chief fires her in the end, and carelessly mentions Alex’s concerns in doing so.  Izzie feels betrayed and alone, and takes off, leaving Alex a Dear John letter.  He is on the verge of a breakdown, and Justin Chambers was excellent as a doctor trying to “keep it together” while holding on by a thread.

This episode was great, and the Mercy West merger breathes new life into the show while introducing several new cast members ripe for new plotlines and conflicts.  There also was fine acting from Sandra Oh and Sara Ramirez as their characters experienced teary emotional collapses, reminding me of why Grey’s Anatomy doesn’t just receive accolades as a show, but well-deserved individual honors too.  I can’t wait to see how the introduction of all these new characters continues to flesh out the old ones while injecting some novelty to the show and cast.

Season 6, Episodes 5: Invasion (Originally aired October 15, 2009)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Eric McCandless

Where the Wild Things Are

When Maurice Sendak’s children’s book Where the Wild Things Are came out in 1963, a whirlwind of controversy overshadowed the soon to be generational classic.  When Spike Jonze decided to create an adaptation of the 10 sentence book, even more controversy surrounded the idea.  However, this time critics will more immediately realize the important statements made by Where the Wild Things Are.

It would seem to be a difficult task to create an entire movie out of ten sentences.  But it is not so much the words that are spoken that create the movie as much as it is the constant flow of sundry emotions.  We, as an audience, are somehow able to tap into the thinking and feeling of a little boy despite being innately blinded by our more adult concerns.  It is obvious from the onset that Max (Max Records) fears being alone – a fear that many of us hold on to even in our more mature years.  Max’s disobedience and wild nature stem from his older sister’s indifference towards his actions and attention pleading (Seriously, all of us with younger siblings can relate to that occasional nagging) and his single mother (Catherine Keener) who struggles to maintain a relationship with her boyfriend and Max at the same time.  While Max is obviously a little terror in Sendak’s version, he appears to be victimized on a certain level in Spike Jonze’s version.

When we are finally taken to the island where Max meets the wild things (in a somewhat awkward transition), the movie (and the book) is really brought to life.  A star cast of voices including James Gandolfini, Forrest Whitaker, Paul Dano, Chris Cooper etc. do an amazing job of encapsulating the broad emotions that each creature stands to represent.  The visual imagery certainly does not disappoint either; not only from the wild things themselves, but to the environment that they live in as well with an unbelievable combination of effects and heightened realism.  Max is made their king (under false pretenses due to his vivid imagination and storytelling abilities – I mean, the kid obviously grew up to be an investment banker) as the group is struggling to stay together causing panic and grief.  Max is able, however, to bring spontaneity and carefree living to the island because of his ‘wild’ nature.

I don’t want to give too much away because, as one of my favorite childhood books, I am obligated to endorse the movie and recommend seeing it in theatres.  Beyond the important message of childhood anxiety and longing for resilient affection, the acting by young Max isn’t half bad either.  In fact, the kid seems really mature and connected with the emotions that are essential for doing justice to the original book.  I will admit that at times the movie can be slow and exceptionally peculiar, but I honestly think it might just be a little misunderstood (Just like Maurice Sendak’s book once was).

The Stepfather: A Thrill-free Weekend

ScreenGems’ The Stepfather needs to rip a page out of the Disturbia playbook, because there was nothing scary or “thrilling” about this movie. I’m usually first in line for anything related to horror, thriller or suspense, but besides two or three leap-out-of-my-seat moments, I was pretty bored the entire time.

In 1987, the original The Stepfather debuted, starring Terry O’Quinn (Lost), and it’s based on the true story of John List of New Jersey. For 18 years, List was sought by the authorities for the 1971 murder of his mother, wife and three children. He was finally apprehended in 1989 following an America’s Most Wanted broadcast depicting the murder.

Director Nelson McCormick and writer J.S. Cardone teamed up again in the hopes, I‘m sure, of producing something better than their last project (they’d previously worked on the horror movie Prom Night which was horrid!). But sadly, I don’t think it went as planned.

The cast actually didn’t bother me all that much. Dylan Walsh of Nip/Tuck plays the title role of David Harris. And for someone like me who’s used to seeing him as the more mild manner half of McNamara-Troy, it was fun to watch him take on such a complex role. I actually think he nailed it as the sweet looking man who seems like he could do no wrong but suddenly unravels before our eyes.  Joining Walsh is Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) as the soon-to-be step son Michael Harding. This was his feature film debut so I’m sure he was feeling the pressure especially since all his castmates are also making names for themselves outside of the CW, but I was underwhelmed. His acting wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t like he was stretching himself. It was basically Dan Humphrey in the suburbs with a different blond, frisky girlfriend. Other cast members include Sela Ward (Once and Again), who plays the mom Susan Harding, Amber Heard from Pineapple Express, who plays the skeptical girlfriend Kelly and Paige Turco (who I will always envy because she played April O’Neil in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies, and I used to pretend they were all my boyfriends) as Susan’s sister.

After returning home from military school, Michael must learn how to live with a new man in his life. David and Susan have only known each other for six months, but they’re ready to walk down the aisle. He seems like the perfect guy to Susan’s friends, other two children and Kelly, especially since her ex (Michael’s father) won’t be winning any Father of the Year awards anytime soon. But Michael is suspicious from the start. Slowly but surely, he starts to piece together the real history of this stranger he has to share a roof with, and it’s not pretty.

From the beginning of the film, the audience is clued into the back story. There’s no qualms that this guy is the antagonist, and you can pretty much figure out how the story will play out. Unfortunately having this insight is exactly what makes the film so boring. The entire time you’re just waiting for something to happen so when nothing does for the first hour and 15 minutes, at least I, got extremely frustrated. And by the sounds of the audiences I watched with, I’m not the only one. It was also rated PG-13 which didn’t help the “thrill” part of the film which can usually be heightened with little blood, gore and nudity.

When I heard about this film, I immediately likened it to the Amityville Horror movies (let it be known that The Stepfather has absolutely nothing to do with the paranormal). But just the idea of a father going crazy and hurting those most dear to them is one of the most terrifying things I could imagine. Yet as sick and twisted as it is, it’s an interesting story if only because it could be an intriguing character study of a deranged man. Sadly instead of taking the road less traveled, everything was as predictable as it could possibly be. If I had the choice to go back in time and do it all over, I’d stay home and rent the original instead. I’d strongly advise you to do the same.

The Explosive Ambiguity of Law Abiding Citizen

An ordinary man takes the law into his own hands after the hoods who murdered his family go free. We’ve seen this movie countless times, with Charles Bronson (a lot), Kevin Bacon, Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Steven Seagal, and Thomas Jane to name just a few. But Law Abiding Citizen works surprisingly well, thanks to an intensely charismatic performance from Gerard Butler and a sharply unpredictable and more than slightly diabolical script that subverts the genre. What we’re supposed to take away from the film is less than clear and maybe slightly problematic, but Law Abiding Citizen remains a slickly made and highly entertaining moral thriller.

The film opens swiftly and confidently, introducing protagonist Clyde Shelton (Butler). We see him at home with his daughter, who is making a bead necklace, while Clyde is doing a craft project of his own, something involving complex circuitry. So we learn immediately that this guy has some very specialized tactical knowledge and he cares very deeply for his family. All this is shattered in a matter of minutes, when two thugs break into Clyde’s house, bind and stab him, then go to work on his family. It’s a horrifying and brutal setup, as director F. Gary Gray pulls no punches in depicting it, and he maintains this level of disturbing and grisly realism throughout the film.

From there, we get what we’ve seen before. We’re introduced to Jamie Foxx’s up-and-coming attorney Nick Rice, and we quickly get the impression that this guy is more concerned with his own career and only taking cases he can win than he is with standing up for justice. He tells an understandably distraught Clyde that he’s cutting a deal with one of the murderers. Bad Guy #1 is going to testify against Bad Guy #2 for a reduced charge. The results: Bad Guy #2 goes to death row but Bad Guy #1 pleads murder in the third degree and only does a few years time. Clyde begs Nick not to make the deal, he tells him that the jury will believe in his testimony because it is the truth. Nick says the usual about evidence is circumstantial, yada yada yada… But I felt that Nick didn’t care, and Clyde clearly felt that too. Moments later, Clyde sees Nick shaking Bad Guy #1’s hand on the steps of the courthouse in front of the press, and he’s got a look in his eyes that screams this ain’t over.

Now let me be clear, Nick Rice isn’t a bad guy…he’s just not an overly good one. He’s more into his career and more into becoming a bigger hotshot than he is. But maybe that’s because, like Clyde, he’s a family man with a wife and a baby on the way. He seems similar to Willy Beachum, the young attorney Ryan Gosling played in Gregory Hoblit’s underrated 2007 legal thriller Fracture. Except I found Beachum to be a lot more sympathetic, but that may have something to do with my disdain for Jamie Foxx. I’m not saying the guy isn’t talented, but he’s always made my skin crawl a little bit. I’ll never forgive him for helping bastardize Miami Vice in the ill-conceived 2006 movie reboot. But I digress.

The film then cuts abruptly to a full ten years in the future. Bad Guy #2 is being executed, except instead of having a nice painless injection, someone corrupted the machine so that his death was long and screamingly painful. Soon after, Bad Guy #1 is abducted, viciously tortured and executed. We’re talking horror movie, torture porn violence here people. We have no doubt that Clyde is involved in these murders, and neither do Nick or the cops. They track Clyde down and find him waiting peacefully to be arrested. We’ve seen this all before right? All of this is filmed and acted really well, but we have indeed seen it done before. But now the film starts to depart radically from the typical vigilante revenge film.

For the rest of the movie, Clyde is in prison. And yet, anyone who was involved with his family’s case is being brutally (and very creatively) assassinated. Clyde isn’t just after the bad guys, he’s after every facet of the justice system that allowed one of the killers to go free. Nick is of course at the top of this list, but Clyde is saving him for last. The question then becomes, of course, how the hell is Clyde killing all of these people if he is locked away in a maximum security prison? Nick thinks he has an accomplice on the outside helping him, but you know that’s too easy a solution for a movie like this.

From here, the movie becomes a remarkably intense chess match between Clyde and Nick. I never get tired of seeing movies that pit one dynamic character played by an equally dynamic actor against the other. When done right, it’s electrifying to watch. I already mentioned Fracture. Other movies like this I would cite would be The Thomas Crown Affair, Heat, The Score, The Dark Knight, Entrapment, Face/Off, and Die Hard just to name a few off the top of my head.

Here’s the thing about Law Abiding Citizen though. I’m sure the majority of other reviewers are griping about how implausible the film is, how unlike real life, etc. But that’s not necessarily a fair criticism. The truth is, no movie is just like real life, no matter how gritty or “documentary style” it claims to be. Movies are real life with all the boring parts edited out. What matters isn’t if a movie is exactly true to life, but if it is true to the world it has created. The world in Law Abiding Citizen is a brutal, crazy, even insane world. And when it is finally revealed how Clyde is doing the things he does, yes it is shocking, yes it is unbelievable and outlandish. But it’s certainly not impossible, not in the world the film created.

I’m not giving anything away here, but you learn in the course of the movie that Clyde was a think-tank guy that worked for the defense department devising ingenious, tactically precise ways to kill people. So right off the bat the movie is asking you to buy into this very large coincidence that a guy with those abilities is randomly attacked in his home by a couple of low-rent thugs. It’s a big, convenient coincidence. Either you buy into it or you don’t. I just went with it and watched the movie, and I was happy that I did, because the movie entertains in spades, and these days that means a lot to me.

The set pieces in the film are explosive and really well-executed. The audience I saw it with was laughing and applauding and crying out. We all had a very audible reaction to the film. Any movie that can make you react in such a measured way can’t be all bad. What’s also interesting about the movie (and problematic) is that, unlike similar types of films, there is no clearly delineated good guy or bad guy. You are totally with Clyde throughout the first act of the movie, you’re cheering him on. But as it goes on you realize this dude is really crazy, and you’re not even sure exactly what point he’s trying to make. I mean at one point he’s basically trying to wipe out the entire city of Philadelphia. And while Nick isn’t a particularly likable fellow, he’s certainly not a bad guy either. At the end of the film, you really don’t know what you’re supposed to take away from it, or whose side you were supposed to be on. Not that that’s a bad thing. Ambiguity can be wonderful sometimes, as can certainty.

F. Gary Gray has a spotty record in my book. The Negotiator was a crackerjack thriller with two first-rate performances by Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson. I love that movie. I even enjoyed his Italian Job remake with Mark Wahlberg. But Be Cool, the sequel to the great comedy Get Shorty, was one of the most forced and painfully unfunny movies I’ve ever seen. Four years after seeing it in theaters I still have a bad taste in my mouth. He hasn’t done much else of note in my book. But Law Abiding Citizen is skillfully made and stylishly directed, and I was so happy to see a movie besides Rocky make a character out of Philadelphia. It’s a great and underused city.

Also working in the film’s favor are Bruce McGill and Colm Meaney, two of the best character actors around. McGill has been great in everything from MacGyver to Matchstick Men, Collateral, Cinderella Man, and The Insider, and Colm Meaney in Con Air, Life on Mars, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Those guys are always terrific to watch. And I had never been impressed with Butler before this, but he’s first rate in this movie. Jamie Foxx is…Jamie Foxx.

If you’re looking for a piece of grisly and intense entertainment this weekend, Law Abiding Citizen is better than you probably would have expected.
And if you want to read additional Poptimal reviews for Law Abiding Citizen check out Law Abiding Citizen by Tanya Lane.

30 Rock: This Page Ain’t Turning

So, people of real America, have you missed 30 Rock? Didn’t get your fix at the Emmys? Well, fear not, Liz and co. are back for another 22 episodes of clever cultural critiques and testing my ability to transcribe the best lines and follow the “plot” at the same time.

Speaking of which, our season begins with Jack, aka Johnny America, lecturing Liz, Jenna, and Tracy, who have lost touch with their roots. TGS is apparently turning into Studio 60 with the liberal elitism. Jenna offers to “go country” (it’s a totally legit career move, and preferable, at least in Jack’s eyes, to having a lesbian relationship) and Tracy embarks on a series of antics designed to irritate NBC’s housekeeping staff and random passersby. Liz has it worst of all, though, as Jack orders her to find a new TGS cast member who will appeal to the heartland. (Meanwhile, I’m sure this is all a reference to 30 Rock’s own low ratings and tendency to skew, demographics-wise, toward rich people in big cities, but I prefer to save my critical thinking about TV shows for Mad Men, thanks.)

The new cast member will probably wind up being good news for us viewers given this show’s success at retaining superb guest stars, but it’s bad news for everyone but Jack. Liz and Pete, who are charged with recruitment, are stressed because actors have so many opinions and emotions. Jenna and Tracy are stressed because what if it’s a blonde woman?!? And Josh up and quits, not so much because of the new cast member as because no one ever notices him anyway (again, probably a reference to the fact that he was at one point a regular but only showed up, like, twice last season, which is too bad because I always liked him when he was in actual sketches). The episode ends before a new star is selected. Given the season’s promos, I can only pray that it’s Devon.

Kenneth’s subplot for the week stems from the current Comrade Obama-fueled raging period of economic crisis: the pages’ overtime has been cut, and Jack gave himself an enormous bonus anyway (how American of him). Kenneth, who apparently has quite a leadership role with the NBC page community, gets whatever religious undergarment he’s wearing in a twist and orders the pages to go on strike. He even manages to get the local bucket drummers and mall Santas on board (they’ve had it with those flammable beards). Jack puts Steve Buscemi, PI, on the case, but even his undercover stint as nympho co-ed Charlene Larue isn’t enough to sway Kenneth. Only when Jack signs a piece of paper proclaiming “I am a big ole’ liar” does Kenneth give in (and no, he didn’t bother to ask for the pages’ overtime back). Well, it’s a step up from that South Park episode about the Canada strike, but not much of one.

We then get a coda, like the kind The Office always does that my DVR always cuts off. First, Jenna performs a song that’s worth watching in its entirety. Then, Jack instructs Liz, “There’s nothing wrong with being fun and popular and just giving people what they want. Ladies and gentlemen, Jay Leno.” Funny, but this episode was clearly written before the Leno ratings started coming in.

Other things we learned this week:

• The NBC pages’ shirts are hot and itchy.
• Lights with blue gels make Jenna’s teeth look see-through.
• Pete’s wife Paula is willing to welcome Liz into their lovemaking, if need be.
• Grizz and Dot Com have built a protective shell around Tracy, like a hermit crab or a mermaid boobie.

Last season, I made lists of lines from each episode that I resolved to use in my day-to-day life. But I heard complaints that I never actually used them. Which I didn’t, because I’m not clever enough to recognize the opportunity to say “Oh, my, that’s very urban” when it arises. So this season, I’m just going to list lines that I would really like to use in my day-to-day life, if I lived in a parallel universe where I had Tina Fey’s wit.

For this week, it’s:

• I can’t eat this. I’m a foodie.
• So naturally, you came to me, because this company is just the two of us.
• What’s your name? Is it Pedro? Is it Crackford? Is it Swimming?
• What do we want? To get your sandwiches! When do we want it? Whenever would be convenient for you!
• Guide me, Nixon.

Season 4, Episode 1: Season 4 (originally aired October 15, 2009)

For more on 30 Rock, click here.

Thursdays at 9:30/8:30C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Ali Goldstein

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