Chuck Aces His Final Exam

Chuck continued its rebound this week with a focused and slickly-made episode that furthered the storyline and, even more importantly, the main character arcs. We open with Chuck chasing down a man through a train yard. He catches up to him and, in spite of the man’s dire protests, shoots him down. What? Can our loveable schlub really have turned into a killer? Well we don’t get the answer until the very end, because the episode then enters Non-linear Land and flashes back three days, to when more guns are being discharged and more men slain.

Except in this case, the guns are Nerf guns and the men (a.k.a. slovenly degenerates) are Jeff and Lester. They’re doing what they usually do: engaging in infantile shenanigans to counteract the fact that they work dead-end jobs and have no future. I can’t say that I blame them, but Casey is less than amused. In the aftermath of last week’s events—which left Casey fired from the NSA and given a one-way ticket into civilian life—Casey has even less patience than usual. He demonstrates this motion by banging Jeff’s and Lester’s heads together like gongs. It’s an effective course of action, but it doesn’t go unnoticed by Big Mike, who promptly calls Casey into his office for a little session of time-out/corporate counseling.

Chuck has very little to do with the Buy More this week. He has other things on his mind, like Sarah’s recent jaunt to Washington D.C. with bland nimrod Shaw (played by bland nimrod Brandon Routh). This new ill-matched duo inform Chuck that his final mission before becoming a spy has arrived. If he succeeds, he’ll be whisked off to Rome to begin a stint posing as a billionaire industrialist. Sounds like a pretty sweet gig. The catch? Sarah would not be joining him, as she will be relocating to Washington long-term to lead counter-Ring missions with Shaw. Sarah congratulates Chuck on getting everything he ever wanted. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to; his face practically lights up as a billboard flashing “Not Everything…”

The mission: follow Russian spy Anatoli Zevlovski, a courier of dirty secret information between The Ring and a CIA mole. Chuck is to use Zevlovski to flush out said mole. This is all told to him via Beckman on a portable DVD player that self-destructs in the classic Mission: Impossible tradition. This mission is quite an entertaining one that features Chuck fighting in the sauna (although not nearly as memorably as Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises) and scrambling from one hotel balcony to another in very limited clothing a la Will Smith in Enemy of the State.

The mission ends up being more complicated than Chuck initially thought, and it (seemingly) involves him making a drastic choice that may forever alter who he is and doom his chances with Sarah. Although, to be fair, it seems like everything Chuck does—whether right or wrong—somehow dooms his chances with Sarah. They sure don’t make it easy for this guy.

Also of note: this episode features the most blatant Subway homage/ridiculously blatant product promotion ever. It’s really pretty funny. I don’t know how they could have caressed the Subway franchise any more. That’s not a complaint, as I well know that Subway was instrumental in getting Chuck renewed for a third season. Whether they can pull it off another time is far less likely. But if Chuck is reaching the end, it is at least aiming to wrap up with quality.

Season 3, Episode 11: Chuck vs. The Final Exam (originally aired March 22, 2010)

For more on Chuck, click here.

Mondays at 8/7C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal and Jordin Althaus.

More High School Drama in 10 Things I Hate About You

Get ready to see more kissing, drama, and hilarity coming up in ABC Family’s 10 Things I Hate About You, according to Nicholas Braun who revealed that his character Cameron James will be having his first kiss and it won’t be with Meaghan Martin’s Bianca. Along these lines we’ll see the hopeless romantic teen get over his first broken heart and audiences can tune in to see whether or not he’ll remain friends with the girl who’s responsible for it. Poor Bianca!

It’s hard to deny the comedic chemistry between Nicholas and Meaghan that seems obvious even off screen as they joked around in a recent interview. The two candidly spoke about how coming to work is a blast and had great things to say about their two co-stars Lindsey Shaw and Ethan Peck. Meaghan revealed that Ethan sends the best text messages because he texts in proper grammar. Nicholas commented that Lindsey is an amazing actress and that he’s had a fun time interacting with her as they do more scenes in these upcoming episodes. We’ll also be seeing him singing this season at Padua High School’s talent show!

When asked how they got the roles, Meaghan remarked that originally she was told that she wasn’t right for Bianca but then got a call back to audition for a different part. She laughs that they probably confused her with someone else because she ended up reading for Bianca again. Needless to say producers were impressed and she got offered the part. In the original movie version Larissa Oleynik played Bianca and Joseph Gordon-Levitt portrayed Cameron.

It’s really refreshing to hear two young actors so passionate about their craft and still be able to have fun and enjoy their work. This comes across in their performances on the show where Meaghan makes a convincing teenager trying to climb the high school social ladder and Nicholas is the lovesick boy trying to land his first girlfriend. It’s these teen issues that they both agree make the show relatable to audiences and they hope it will continue to draw viewers back to watch. 10 Things I Hate About You wasn’t canceled mid-season but there’s no word yet whether they’ll be back next fall.

Meaghan is most known for her role as Tess Tyler on Disney Channel’s Camp Rock, which also stars Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas. Speaking of Demi and Joe, their co-star isn’t surprised that the two are now dating and are happy for them both. When I asked her what types of roles she’d like to do in the future she enthusiastically answered an action role like Lara Croft (of Tomb Raider) or Elizabeth Swann of The Pirates of the Caribbean. Ever the jokester Nicholas answered that he would like to play Gumby in a live-action version of Gumby. He explained that no one could be tall or lanky enough for the part (Nick is 6 feet and 4 inches!). He is best known for his role as Zeke in Disney Channel’s Minutemen and as Zach, the glow in the dark teen in Sky High. If he wasn’t acting I think he would make an excellent human beat box after an impromptu performance during the interview.

10 Things I Hate About You comes back on March 29 on ABC Family. You can also catch Meaghan in Camp Rock 2 while Nicholas is currently filming The Chalet Girl in Austria with Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick.

Lastly, when asked why people should tune in to the show Nicholas responds, “A lot of kissing this season!” There you have it folks, 10 Things I Hate About You promises a glimpse into teenage life while making you laugh at the same time.

For more television articles, click here.

Photographs courtesy of ABC Family.

LOST SOB

I’M SO EXCITED FOR TONIGHT’S EPISODE IT’S LIKE LAST WEEK’S DOESN’T EVEN MATTER.

But maybe it did a little so I guess we can talk about it. Last week’s episode was a Sawyer-centric episode, and after watching it when it originally aired, I wasn’t very impressed. After watching a second time, I still got most excited at the previews for tonight’s episode. I feel like all we learned was that Miles would forever be Sawyer’s sidekick and that James/Jim Ford/LaFleur will look good without his shirt on no matter what.

When Sawyer’s Universe X story line started out in the hotel room with the same dialogue/set up as his other cons, I thought that he was either a cop, or in a really bad movie. Even though the lines and scenario were the same as Sawyer’s cons in Universe 815, the whole thing just felt off. I expected someone to yell “cut” off screen and for a soap opera crew to emerge. But alas, Sawyer became a cop, not a cop out actor (no hate to soap stars, I was obsessed with Passions for a few years…). So Sawyer is a man of the law (allegedly) and we see him calling a long list of Anthony Coopers (dun dun dunnnn) at his Detective desk until Miles comes along for a little chat. James freaks, hides the list and claims that Anthony is just an old friend he ran into on his trip to Palm Springs and he is trying to score some Lakers tickets off of him. In Universe X, James is kind of a bad liar. Hmm. Anyway, Miles tells James that he has a date tonight with someone who works with his dad at the museum. Hold the phone. If his Dad is Pierre Chang from Dharmaville, how the hell did he get off the island, when last we saw his hand was squashed during the incident and it was looking like he was going to end up at the bottom of the ocean along with the island in Universe X? So, is this a step dad who is also really into science too (I guess mom has a type)? If Chang made it off the island, it totally messes up my theory (kind of like the week before with how Ben managed to get off the island with his dear old dad…).

But James goes on the date, after Miles is a little sketched out by his terrible lies and lets his bromance partner know he can tell him anything. Sawyer gets to the bar, and wouldn’t you know it, his blind date is with the archeologist Charlotte! Called it. Woot woot. I’ve missed Charlotte. I loved her on the show but I loved her even more on the bonus features on the season 4 DVD. I feel like we are friends now. I need a life. Back to Universe X life, Charlotte and James hit it off and get it on when Charlotte asks James why he became a cop, for reals, and he says that he got to a point when he would either become a criminal or a cop, and he chose cop. Then they do it. All is peachy until Charlotte goes rummaging for a shirt (she can’t turn off the archeologist in her!) and finds James’ binder of Sawyer stuff, including a family photo and the newspaper clipping of the incident that changed his life. James walks in, sees that Charlotte has found his terribly hidden life’s research, and kicks her out. Woof.

Later at the precinct, Miles is pissed, James assumes because of what he did to Charlotte, but it’s really because Miles ran James’ credit card, and found out that he was really down under, not in Palm Springs. Miles says he and James aren’t partners anymore, and James smashes a mirror. Anyone else noticing how mirrors are a central theme this episode? I feel like in all the Universe X flashes so far, all the characters have a “woe is me”/self reflection moment in the mirror. Significant? Later, James gets weird by himself in his apartment, drankin beer and watching Little House on the Prairie. This just seemed creepy to me, more than nostalgic or moral or whatever it was trying to accomplish. After having some alone time with Laura Ingalls Wilder, James makes his way over to Charlotte’s apartment with an “I’m sorry” sunflower and six pack. Charlotte is having none of it, and sasses him out of her life. Will she be back? With Daniel? With Miles’ dad (not that way)?

After realizing what a douche he has been, James tries to make it up to Miles by showing him the Sawyer binder and telling him what he was really doing in Australia: following a lead so he could kill the man that ruined his life. He says that he didn’t tell Miles because he knew he would talk him out of it, to which Miles replies, hell yeah. Did James tell him because now he won’t really do that? Is he going to meet Mr. Cooper, who seems to have reformed or at least made nice with Locke? TBD. The last we saw of Sawyer X, he chased a criminal on the run down the streets of LA, which turned out to be, son of a bitch, Kate.

Back to Universe 815 whooooooosh: Sawyer is sent on a mission by Flocke to go the the Hydra island and do some recon (coincidentally the name of this episode…recon as in reconnaissance, or re-con, like a redo con? Hmmm). Flocke tells Sawyer that he is the smoke thing that killed the people at the temple, and that he is sending him over to Hydra because he is the best liar he has ever known (is he conning him now?), which is odd because James in Universe X seemed to be a pretty crappy liar actually, having been called out by Miles and Charlotte. Sawyer paddles over to his old Hydra home, the cages, where he and Kate got it on and he seems to get a little nostalgic when he finds the dress that Ben made her wear. He makes it to the Ajira plane, and follows a path to a pile of decaying bodies. Ew. There is a girl on the run through the forest, and Sawyer catches up with the girl named Zoe, a Lisa Loeb look-a-like who is annoying as hell. They chat and Sawyer calls her out on her lies, and then her people emerge from the brush, and take Sawyer to their leader: Charles Widmore.

A few weird things about the sub: who are these people? What is locked up behind that door? What did Charles mean when he said that it was sad about how little Sawyer knew? How did he find the island? Did he kill those people on the beach or did Flocke? Does he know what Flocke is? Is he on the bad or good side? Oy. During their visit, Sawyer tells Widmore that he is going to tell Flocke the coast is clear and then walk him into the trap, as long as Widmore gives Sawyer and his people free passage off the island without anyone getting hurt. Both are suspicious of one another, but Sawyer doesn’t seem to give a Flocke.

Sawyer makes his way back over to Flocke, and tells him everything he just told Widmore. So do both know they are being played by Sawyer? Later Sawyer finds Kate and tells her that he is going to let the two of them battle it out, while the Losties are getting off the island by way of submarine. Ok, I’m not buying it and that just bothered me. Does Sawyer really care about the Losties? What is his endgame? Does he know how to charter a sub?

Omg this is getting long. Quick recap of the recon going on for the other people in Universe 815: Sayid is comatose and doesn’t try to save Kate when Crazy Claire attacks her. Crazy Claire gets Chris Browned by Flocke, which, if nothing else has yet, confirmed to me that he is actually the bad one, the dark one, what have you. Once you go around smacking a girl, all bets are off. While Claire is in time out, Flocke tells Kate that he had to tell Claire that the Others had her baby, to keep her going, so she could live off her hate. Another bad sign, motivated by hate rather than hope (yayyy generation Obama). Flocke also orchestrates a bizarre heart-to-heart with Kate where he tells her that he knows what she is feeling, because he had a crazy mother, and it affected him and he is still going through growing pains from it. WTF? Who is his mother? He then says that he is telling Kate this because now Aaron has a crazy mother too. Didn’t he make Claire crazy? What does that even mean? Crazy people should just be cut out of the equation? I didn’t get that whole thing other than confirming that Kate is not buying what Flocke is selling.

This whole episode I was kind of thinking, so what? In Universe X all I really got was that Sawyer still has issues, he still likes Little House on the Prairie, and he still likes les fleurs for les ladies. Sometimes I really hate in LOST how the characters just don’t ask the right questions and the right times. Like when Widmore said it’s sad how little you know, even if Sawyer wasn’t going to believe anything Widmore was about to say, I would still like to know what we are so misinformed about. (PS is this battle now bigger than Ben vs. Widmore?) It was great to see Charlotte, but whatever. And that crazy mother stuff was just weird and Claire’s hair is making me mental. I know you are nuts, but damn, you had enough time to make a creepy doll baby can’t you fashion a comb?

For all that was kind of blah this episode, I hope that tonight’s makes up for in aces. I cannot WAIT to learn about Richard. Who he is, where he comes from, how old is he, how come he travels through time but wasn’t traveling with the Losties, why doesn’t he age, were he and Jacob besties, what did he mean when he saw Flocke and was like, you?!?!? It’s going to be epic.

Season 6 Episode 8: Recon (Originally Aired March 16, 2010)

For more on Lost, click here.

Tuesdays, 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Mario Perez.

Greenberg review: Noah Baumbach’s Latest Horror Movie

I really wanted to like Greenberg. I really, really did. And then, I did.

From the trailer, I had feared the worst. Great, I thought, another jaded, uber-“contemporary” talk-fest in which the characters and their dialogue actually bear not a nugget of original truth nor insight into what it’s really like to be a certain person, in a certain place, in a certain time, etc. The movie not only had all these things, but also turned out to be astonishingly well-paced and would you believe it, legitimately entertaining as well.

Greenberg is the latest solo effort (sort of) from Noah Baumbach, notorious chronicler of the modern damaged, and the damage they do in turn. Baumbach’s previous films, the lukewarmly received Margot at the Wedding, and the sublime and priceless Brooklyn divorce poem The Squid and the Whale, easily fit this description, as do his well-known collaborations with Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Fantastic Mr. Fox).

In fact, I along with the person with whom I saw the film (completely independently of each other) thought that the eponymous protagonist of Greenberg (Ben Stiller), a 40-year-old failed musician turned carpenter, could pass for a grown-up version of Jesse Eisenberg’s lying, sniveling, adolescent pseudo-intellectual-in-training from The Squid of the Whale.

And therein lies the aspect of Greenberg that for me, really hooked me into the film. For each step of the story, one thought became further illuminated and shaped, that thought being: “This is where it might go. This is where it might go for you and many of the people you know.” My generation (the generation between Greenberg’s generation, and the generation of barely post-adolescent youths with whom he parties toward the end of the film) is deeply characterized by people who take longer, far longer to “decide what to do with their lives,” people who hold onto certain types of “dreams” for far longer than their parents ever would have…well, dreamed.

And I feel like a lot of people I know might hate this movie for that reason. It might just scare the S#@* out of them.

So then without further philosophical ado, let me make some comments on the plot and acting before the entire review gets away from me. Basically, Greenberg is your standard Baumbach misanthrope, played with extremely intriguing and watchable precision by Stiller, turning his usual machine a few notches down towards the darker end of the dial. Having been a carpenter in Bushwick (a really decrepit area of Brooklyn) for the past 15 years, he returns to L.A., where he house-sits for his rich, successful brother (Chris Messina) for a week.

He begins an awkward romance with their personal assistant, mumblecore vet Greta Gerwig (she’s damn terrific in this), which becomes the heart of the movie, and the one thing that seems to have any real potential to bring Greenberg out of a funk. Greenberg doesn’t even seem to be aware that he is in a funk. Meanwhile, he re-connects with his old band mates (most notably and focally fantastic, subdued Rhys Ifans), and comes to terms with the fact that he destroyed their one opportunity to get a record deal all those years ago.

Baumbach’s wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh), with whom he shares story credit, also makes an appearance as an old flame of Greenberg’s.

Check it out, if you dare.

Frak This!: Caprica Giveaway

Alright Sci-Fiction geeks, Poptimal.com has partnered with the fine folks at SyFy Channel to bring you a terrific Caprica giveaway.  Enter and you could win:

One (1) Caprica T-Shirt

Featuring Caprica text logo across front chest & small Syfy logo on upper back)
T-Shirt is America Apparel 50/50 blend (combed cotton/polyester)

One (1) Caprica DVD of the Premiere

Deleted Scenes

Feature Commentary with Director Jeffrey Reiner and Executive Producer/Writer Ronald D. Moore and Executive Producer David Eick
Video Blogs
Bonus Features:

One (1) Caprica poster [featuring key art and season premiere info]
Enter for a Chance to Win

1. Post your comments about at least one (1) of our front page articles

2. Email your name, email address and name of the post you commented on to contests@poptimal.com.  Put “Caprica Giveaway” in the subject line

Just that easy!

**If you want extra chances to win, also tweet the following (each Tweet after the initial article post will = 1 additional entry):

“@BambolaBambina (Alessandra Torresani) should do Poptimal.com’s @jonedome podcast show. The fellas think she is half-a-redundancy! @Poptimal“

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These prizes were provided by SyFy Channel through Media Strategies for the purpose of this contest.

Bounty Hunter Review:Bail on The Bounty Hunter

Obviously, Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler were cast in The Bounty Hunter because they are smoking hot and immensely popular. But it seems like the team behind the scenes gave up on the important stuff, the script and overall vision for the film, and simply relied on their actors’ names and looks alone to draw fans to the theater.

Journalist Nicole Hurley (Jennifer Aniston) has been arrested for assaulting a police officer and must report to court. However, she is investigating a suicide with a possible police cover up. A lead arises so she skips her court date and ends up with a bench warrant issued for her arrest. Enter her ex-husband and ex-cop, Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), a bounty hunter who is in debt, and more than happy to hunt down and bring his ex to jail. The cat and mouse game between Nicole and Milo begins and the insults fly. Along the way we meet some other oddball characters like Stewart (Jason Sudeikis), another reporter who is in love with Nicole and the incapable henchmen that work for the loan shark Milo owes. The rest of the film develops (slowly I might add) as Milo tries to bring Nicole to jail while also dealing with Milo’s loan shark and those who do not like Nicole’s prying into the suicide.

In The Bounty Hunter, we see a familiar storyline—the battle of the exes but one that is not executed well and lacks on several levels. First, multiple times during the movie I thought to myself, “it’s going to pick up now” but…it didn’t. The film dragged on to the point of making it pretty dull. Also, The Bounty Hunter was void of comedy, unfortunately only a few laughs throughout. Next, there was not much depth or background in this film. We never learn why Nicole and Milo fell in love, why they divorced or what they still see in each other. As a viewer, you make no real connection with the characters and therefore aren’t really invested in their story—they are just two people arguing.

Unfortunately, add this one to the list of failed romantic comedies. Can’t put too much blame on any of the actors for this flop—they did a decent job with what they were given. I like both Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler and thought they had decent chemistry onscreen. I think The Bounty Hunter had some potential if only there had been more emphasis on the nuts and bolts rather than placing the entire film on the charm and good looks of its actors. My advice—save your money and bail on The Bounty Hunter.

Photo by Barry Wetcher SMPSP – © 2010 Columbia TriStar

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Rocker Chicks

Last week, we learned that Tyra Sanchez is a “huge bitch,” and Morgan McMichaels went home.

This week’s episode begins with Raven wiping away Morgan McMichael’s lipstick goodbye from the dressing room mirror.  Raven tries to look on the bright side of things because she believes that, up until now, she may have been spending too much time focusing on both Morgan and herself.  With Morgan gone, Raven is relieved to be able to devote all of her time to thinking only about herself.  And here I’ve been complaining that I thought Raven was delusional and vain.

“Girl, you’ve got a She Mail!”  RuPaul uses all sorts of rock and roll songs in the She Mail . . . which can only mean one thing:  Rock n’ Roll in the house tonight.  And I’m right because RuPaul walks in dressed like an even gayer (if possible) Rob Halford.  The Pit Crew (barely dressed, as usual) rolls out a cart of wigs on Styrofoam heads.  The mini challenge will require the girls will have to do their best rock style wig.

The results are a mixed bag.  Some of them end up being pretty great: Tatianna (who put cigarette butts and trash in her wig) and Jessica Wild (who was inspired by Jem and the Holograms).  Some of them were really bad: Tyra Sanchez (who styled her wig like one of Beyonce’s), Raven and Sahara Davenport (both of whose wigs were far too tame).   Finally, one was delightfully bizarre: Pandora Boxx (who styled her wig to look like a guitar).  Pandora is the winner of the wig mini-challenge, so I have a mini-celebration.

The main challenge this week will be a RuPaul’s Drag Race first: the contestants will have to sing a rock n’ roll version of “Ladyboy” live in front of an audience (read: ten gays) on the Main Stage.  First of all, RuPaul’s “Ladyboy” is not exactly a rock song.  Nevertheless, this sounds like a hot-mess, fun challenge.  Berlin’s Terri Nunn will give each contestant a singing lesson, and she will also be a judge on the main stage.  Yay!  Do you know how much I loved, “Take My Breath Away”?  A LOT!

The practices are not particularly noteworthy, other than for three things.  First, Jujubee is the favorite in this challenge because he’s the only one who can carry a tune.  Second, Terri Nunn has a crush on Raven, which completely creeps me out.  Finally, Tatianna looks like she’s headed home this week because girlfriend is not feeling this challenge and barely participates in her lesson.

Let’s jump right to the main stage because I have to tell you about these performances.  On the main stage, Ru looks tremendous: a cross between a leather man and a cockatoo.  The guest judges are Terri Nunn and Henry Rollins!  The performances went in the following order:

• Jessica Wild – Aside from her tragic wig, she knocked it out of the park!  She sang the song pretty well, and she had lots of energy on stage.  I still don’t get why she’s still here, but, based on this performance, she is not going back to Puerto Rico tonight.

• Pandora Boxx – Completely kick ass.  She couldn’t carry a tune if her life depended on it, but she more than compensated with her stage presence and rock attitude.  I loved it.

• Sahara Davenport – Girl.  Friend.  No.  It was so bad.  Her personality is utterly incompatible with being a rocker chick.  Plus she forgot some of the words.  The musical equivalent of this.

• Tatianna – Miss Tati is one to watch because whatever was bothering her in her lesson with Terri Nunn, it was put to bed.  She pulled out the stops and brought it!

• Raven – This is getting annoying.  For the third straight week, Raven brings down the house on the main stage.  This challenge was probably pretty easy for her because the rocker chick appears to be part of who she is; however, she still gave a great performance.

• Tyra Sanchez – WTF?!?!  I have no words.  No words!  Tyra performed as Beyonce.  Yes, Beyonce.  She sang in a baritone monotone, twirling around the stage, then seemed on the verge of passing out.  Tyra is completely clueless when out of her comfort zone, and she had better be grateful that she had immunity tonight.

• Jujubee – Oh, Juju.  I was so rooting for you.  It appears that poor Jujubee never bothered to learn all the words.  She messed up the first verse of the performance, and the rest of the performance looked like this.  Jujubee was completely devastated, and, in the Untucked, we saw how much of a total wreck she was after the performance.

The judges had a difficult job tonight to pick a winner because there were – for a change – so many good options.  Ultimately, they pick Jessica Wild.  While I would have probably picked Pandora, I won’t hate on Jessica too much.  Even with that hideous wig.  Seriously, it looks like a floor mop.  Also, tonight RuPaul told Pandora Boxx that she was turning into the Susan Lucci of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and that means that she’s consistently making a mark.  After all, we all know who Susan Lucci is, but who the hell knows who Jess Walton is?

And, since Tyra has immunity, Sahara and Jujubee must lip sync for their lives.  The song: “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles.  IT IS NOT EVEN CLOSE.  Jujubee gives us a very sultry, raw version of the song, while Sahara does her usual ballet baloney.  Apparently, Sahara forgot that this was a ROCKER episode.

As such, disaster is averted.  Jujubee remains to fight another day, and Sahara is sent back to the Bolshoi.  I’m convinced Jujubee could win this thing.  Let’s see if she can pull it together for next week.

Season 2, Episode 6: Rocker Chicks (originally aired March 15, 2010)

For more on RuPaul’s Drag Race, click here.

Mondays at 9pm(est) on Logo

Photographs courtesy of Logo Online and Mathu Anderson.

Repo Men Review: Repossessing Logic

Every now and then I like to go into a movie completely cold. Its not easy in a media environment where advertising is ubiquitous and movie trailers essentially showing entire movies are a common day occurrence but somehow I magically escaped it all when it came to Repo Men. I knew it starred Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. And I knew it was somewhere in the action/sci-fi genre but that’s about it. So it was with a blank slate and no preconceptions that I took my seat in the theatre, chastised a fellow moviegoer for using his laptop during the film, and attempted to enjoy the movie as it unfurled in front of me.

You may have noticed that I just said, “attempted to enjoy the movie” and believe me I really did try, but in the end Repo Men just couldn’t cut it. This was particularly frustrating because I think there are some genuinely fascinating ideas under the surface of the story but they are pushed away in favor of ultra violence and routine plot twists.

Set in a near future where the health care crisis has clearly not been resolved, the movie introduces us to Remy (Jude Law) who brings home the bacon by repossessing artificial body parts from patients who can no longer make the exorbitantly high payments. This naturally commits most patients to death but Remy doesn’t seem to mind. He and his good friend, Jake (Forest Whitaker) make light of their grim duties like a couple of drunken frat boys assigned to washing the dishes. But Remy’s home life isn’t going well with his wife nagging him to take a sales job instead and just as he is about put away the scalpels and taser guns, an accident puts him out of commission and requires the installation of an artificial heart with a massive bill attached to it. Clearly, there are no employee discounts.

Remy’s wife leaves him for not changing jobs sooner, he gets depressed, and then suddenly realizes he is incapable of doing his job anymore. A light-bulb flashes inside of him when he realizes that “Hey! Some people have it tough and can’t pay their bills all the time! And some of them have kids! Killing them would be sad! I should stop.” I realize that he is meant to be depicted as a former military grunt and probably not a great thinker, but did it really take him that long to figure out that condemning someone to death for not being able to pay their medical bills was evil?! What’s more is that the movie features a number of these eureka moments for Remy and each one is more obvious and pointed than the last as if we, the audience, needed it beaten into our heads. This is obviously an evil practice from the get-go of the movie and when the screenwriters keep trying to remind of us of that, its both insulting to us as thinking viewers and makes us think even less of Remy for being so ignorant.

In true predictable fashion Remy fails to make the payments on his fake heart and becomes a target of his fellow repo men including his good friend, Jake, whose logic throughout the whole story rarely if ever makes sense to anyone with a shred of common sense. So with his favorite ally now against him, Remy turns to a homeless lounge singer named Beth (Alice Braga) who happens to have about twelve artificial body parts on her person and together they try to fight back against the man because she is naturally a one-woman army who fights like she was trained by special forces in a crazy jungle fortress somewhere. None of this is explained and her presence as a whole seems sudden and without merit. But since most of the film is without merit or thought, I shouldn’t really have been surprised.

On the positive side of things, director Miguel Sapochnik throws in some unique bits of action and fun shots, Jude Law looks fantastic, and the film is littered with a nice selection of classic songs that add a stylish touch to a few scenes. Sadly none of these things make up for the plot holes and unsympathetic characters that pervade the rest of Repo Men. It bordered on being frustrating for me to watch because I think the general idea of a health care corporation repossessing body parts due to lack of payment is fascinating and ripe for an intelligent story, but instead we got something that was highly predictable, dull, and reliant on mindless action instead of actually saying something.

It was interesting to watch this on the day the Congress finally passed the infinitely debated health care reform bill and I should be able to rest easy that I never have to worry about having my artificial spleen cut out some day for falling three months behind in payment. That being said, I’ve been more entertained today by C-SPAN and urge you to save your movie-going dollars by avoiding Repo Men and be thankful that the story is now and will hopefully remain a pure work of fiction.

Grade: C

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Review: Stands Strong

Now, I am not a sap. I honestly DO NOT BELIEVE that I am a sap. That being said, and you’re going to have to trust me on that, I absolutely adored Dairy of a Wimpy Kid.

Dairy of a Wimpy Kid tells the story of Greg. Greg, played by Zachary Gordon is a freshman just starting out in middle school. He is uncool, invisible and unappreciated. With a bully of a brother (Devon Bostick), parents who never see his side (Steve Zahn and Rachel Harris), and a best friend who is even more helpless than he is, Greg seems to get lost in those surrounding him. Perhaps as a result of this, he is obsessed with being popular in school. Greg wants to be known for being “the best” at something. Or maybe it just seems that he wants to be known.

Anyway, so Greg starts out on his campaign to become ‘somebody.’ So, he joins a couple of teams and clubs hoping to find a place where he can excel and finally become famous. He tries to change himself, tries to change his friends, in order to become more acceptable to his peers. And with each new idea the audience is left to wonder, just how far he will go and when will it be enough. Just what is Greg willing to risk in order to fit in?

This movie is so beautiful. Everything about this movie worked for me; from the cast and the characters, to the storyline, everything pulled together to bring cohesion, depth, and most of all heart.

The casting of this movie was absolutely fabulous as all of the children seemed well suited for their roles. From Grayson Russell as Fregley, the weird kid with hygiene issues, to Chloe Moretz as Angie the loner girl with far more knowledge than her years, the casting was great. My favorite casting was hands down that of Rowley, Greg’s best friend, played by Robert Capron. Capron’s vulnerability and optimism are hard not to believe. And that’s true with all the characters; it’s just so easy to fall into this movie.

The driving force of this movie is the characters. All of these characters are fully fleshed out and as I said, the children do a wonderful job portraying them. It’s hard not to get invested in these kids and the payoff is well worth it.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is based off of the book by Jeff Kinney. I haven’t read this book so I couldn’t tell you how accurate a representation this is. But as a movie, it stands great. Kids will like this movie, it’s funny, has action, and a little bit of a gross factor; so, it’s good on that.

Now, the reason that this review starts off with a big disclaimer is there is a great chance that you won’t like this film. The whole thing is just so sugary sweet it may aggravate your cavities. But, even though I am NOT A SAP, that was fine with me. So, check with your dentist first, and if you don’t have any underlying health concerns, give it a try. On a scale to five, this would be a solid four.

See it.

Photo by: Rob McEwan – © Copyright (c) 2010 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Project Runway: It May Be Evil, But It’s Still Genius

This week, the designers were let loose on New York City as they scoured the neighborhoods in search of divine inspiration.

For this challenge the designers are paired in teams of two and sent to look for inspiration in the boroughs of New York. At random the team leaders are chosen. At the end the pairings are this: Anthony/Maya, Amy/Jonathan, Emilio/Seth, and Jay/Mila. All of the designers take note of this last pairing as the animosity between these two is well known. While Jonathan thinks this move is evil genius on Emilio’s part, Emilio bashfully laughs away any deleterious motivations. Jay and Mila are, of course, very displeased but resigned to make the best out of it.

In reverse order the designers choose what neighborhood they will be inspired by. Jay/Mila have the East Village; Emilio/Seth get Harlem; Amy/Jonathan choose the Upper East Side, and Anthony/Maya are left with Chinatown.

Chasing inspiration, the designers head off to their neighborhoods. Emilio, as a resident New Yorker and native Harleminian (don’t check the dictionary for that one), is ecstatic to be back to the place where he grew up. Seeing the abundance of jeans on the city streets, Emilio and Seth decide to focus their pieces on denim. In Chinatown, Anthony and Maya have fun looking at the colorful atmosphere and structures. They decide to translate this detail and structure in their pieces. The Upper East Side finds Amy and Jonathan examining the high end fashions, the two focus on the starkness of wrought iron gates as their inspiration piece. And finally, in East Village Mila and Jay are enraptured by the rock and roll environment. They decide to take their inspiration from graffiti on a wall.

In the design room, Tim reminds the designers to keep in mind that the team leader may not be the one to go home. So everyone has to bring their best. Designing, Anthony decides to focus his piece on a dragon, deciding not to make this translation too literal he chooses fabric with the somber shades of black and grey. Yes, I don’t understand that either. Because Seth Aaron is so fast in his sewing and so quick to change ideas, Emilio finds it hard to keep him on track. Jonathan, for his look, wants to play with texture and volume. He later becomes worried because the ambitiousness of his and Amy’s designs leads him to question if they can finish on time.

The partnership of Jay and Mila is static. The two don’t communicate, and in fact physically distance themselves from their partner as they are working on their designs. They don’t talk, at least not to each other. Mila doesn’t like Jay’s pants and thinks he spent way too much time on them. And Jay wonders about the direction of Mila’s outfit. This, of course, they never say to each other. Jay worries if, at the runway, Mila will throw him under the bus. This is a valid concern as in her confessional Mila prepares to throw him under the bus.

Day of the runway dawns and Jonathan and Amy’s looks are still far from completed. Emilio doesn’t think that they have time to finish and the two are officially in panic mode. Maya is worried that her and Anthony’s looks are too black considering the colorfulness of Chinatown. Anthony worries that Maya’s daytime look is too old. And Mila hates Jay’s ill-fitting last minute tank top.

Runway, guest judges on the runway this week are Francisco Costa filling in for Michael Kors and Molly Sims.

My least favorites:
Jonathan – For as much effort as Jonathan put into his dress it was just trashtastic. It just looked cheap and did his model no justice.

Amy – her design washed her model out. The color was weird and the outfit looked more like a karate uniform.

My favorites:
Anthony’s dress was cute, and I totally dug the pop out design representing the dragon scale.

Emilio’s dress was classy, chic and edgy with a zip that went completely up the front and a little risk factor as well.

The judges:
Emilio/Seth Aaron – The judges loved both of these looks. Heidi liked that both pieces were beautiful and related well, while Nina thought they were well done but could have used a little editing.

Anthony/Maya – Nina found this pairing to be a really great collaboration and loved the subtle details of the design. Michael loved the day look (Maya’s) a bit more than the night look.

Jay/Mila – Nina loved the night look (Mila’s) while Heidi found a problem with Jay’s tank. In Molly’s words, “the tank tanked.”

Amy/Jonathan – Another bottom look. Nina thought the daywear (Amy’s) didn’t look polished, while Heidi merely though it was an eyesore. Jonathan’s look fared slightly better with Nina who loved the look of the front.

Winner: Emilio and Seth Aaron both take the prize on this.
Going home: Amy.

Season 7, Episode 9: Takin’ It to the Streets (originally aired March 18, 2010)

For more on Project Runway, click here.

Thursdays at 10pm EST on Lifetime

Photographs courtesy of Lifetime and IMDbPro.

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