TombRaider09 Reviews

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Artistically Shallow And Ineptly Directed, Snow White Is a Wreck of a Story

[1 September 2012]

Snow White and the Huntsman is a long film. It is made even longer by the fact that it is effectively a story about nothing, packed with poor performances, an average score and some truly terrible writing. The film has two saving graces though: a fiery performance by Charlize Theron and some amazing cinematography.

Let's start with the story. An evil, un-named queen (in these types of stories names are unimportant), rises to power by seducing the King (off-screen, of course) and killing him in his bed. Her reasoning for killing the king and seizing power is that men are pigs and can not be trusted with power. She proceeds to throw the King's daughter, Snow White, by throwing her in jail for the rest of her life. But, as soon as she learns that Snow White's heart could bring her eternal youth and beauty, she sends her Brother (who also, does not have a name), to bring Snow White to her for some lunch time heart-harvesting. Naturally, the princess escapes and a long, dull chase into two mystical forests ensue.

Here lies the film's two central problems. For one, if we were to care about the protagonist's fate, she should be a captivating, well-written and acted character, she is none of these things. Instead, she has almost no personality at all. Who is Snow White as a person? According to the story here, she is "life itself", "pure", and completely "good". Okay, but why? Does she do good deeds? What does it mean she is 'pure life? She just is. The writers didn't think it was important to SHOW these things, merely telling us that Snow White is a very good person should suffice. It doesn't. And if the writers assumed it did, they should be ashamed to be calling themselves storytellers.

On the other hand, we have the evil Queen, who wants to stay young forever. But unlike the dull Snow White, she actually acts out her attributes. She kills the King because she believes he merely uses women, but does not respect them. She allows the kingdom to wither, because she believes it doesn't deserve happiness. She is evil, because she believes that people deserve nothing more than evil to come their way. In the end, I agreed. Wiping out these lifeless characters is exactly what they deserve, and then some.

Unfortunately, the film concentrates almost completely on Snow White, played lifelessly and without emotion by Kristen Stewart, who has the incredible ability to find leading roles in big films without evidencing a shred of acting talent. Her co-star, Chris Hemsworth, does not help matters much, as he tries to carve some kind of a performance out of an under-written character, but there is only so much one can do with nothing.

In the end, the film's script is so terrible that some of the film's virtues, such as beautiful cinematography, can not overcome how bad the overall film is. Which is, truly terrible. It manages to be shallow in every conceivable way from shallow characters to a shallow story. The film has no moral to its story, it shows nor teaches us anything. It just goes from one pointless scene to another until credits roll. And by that time, you'll wish Snow White had been hacked to pieces to be never seen again.

[REC] 3: Genesis (2012)

A Major disappointment, Rec 3: Genesis, is an inferior sequel without any thrills

[23 July 2012]

Oh how the mighty have fallen. The third installment of the REC franchise, which has produced two top-notch horror movies, returns with a whimper in REC 3: Genesis. Discarding all the elements that made the two previous films entertainment-wise and artistically so spectacular, REC 3 is neither entertaining, nor scary. And there are no new plot twists either, as the film merely recaps the major story elements of the first two films.

Speaking of the story, the plot of REC 3 occurs concurrently with the events of the previous two films. It's the wedding day of Clara (Dolera) and Kaldo (Martin), two characters we learn nothing more about than that they are deeply in love. The doomed wedding is attended by a multitude of guests, of whom we learn nothing about either, but the underwritten characters are hardly the film's only problem. Predictably, as one of the guests have been bitten by the rabies-infected dog mentioned in the first film, the wedding reception takes a bloodier turn. Yet, the violence and horror seem tamer than in the previous installments, despite the bloated cast of zombies and bigger budget, which should have delivered better gore and better horror.

As nothing scary happens during the entire film, one begins to wonder why. The biggest contributor is perhaps the visible change in style. REC 3 is only partially shot with a hand-held camera, a major departure from REC and REC 2, which might explain the lack of hands-on horror feel the two previous films delivered to intensely. The writer-director, Paco Plaza, seems inept at directing in a traditional style, or mixing the traditional camera work with the hand-held style. And the script hardly helps. With nothing new to say story-wise, Plaza attempts to cover up the hollowness of the script by introducing comedic elements, which do not help making the film better, but certainly hurt the horror aspect of it.

In the end, REC 3 is like the first two films, only all the good parts being cut out.

Man-Thing (2005)

A B-horror movie, just without the horror, "Man-Thing" is truly awful

[20 July 2012]

Calling a movie just awful might seem uninspiring and unoriginal, but "Man-Thing" hardly deserves any originality from its reviews. The movie is, just awful, period. No horror or even jump scares are to be found in this atrociously banal comic book adaption about a vengeful swamp monster who kills people and stuff.

Although the plot is really not the point in this film (though I sincerely doubt the film has a point at all in any department), a new sheriff (Le Nevez, who makes Hayden Christensen look like a character actor) arrives to a small Lousiana town to replace the missing sheriff, amidst an influx of missing persons cases. Peculiarly, they have all gone missing in the swamp, where an oil company has just recently started drilling oil on sacred Indian land. The rest of this predictable and dull plot consists of an odd assortment of people running aimlessly around the swamp getting themselves impaled by the Man-Thing that looks strangely a lot like big tree, only less terrifying and a lot clumsier (how you can move less gracefully than a non-moving object is itself an achievement). Why anyone would be terrified of this thing is perhaps the biggest - and only - mystery the story has to offer.

While this unfunny, non-scary bore-fest may not be nothing more than a waste of your precious moments on Earth, the film did propel Alex O'Loughlin and Rachael Taylor, both Australians (where the movie was filmed) into acting careers in Hollywood, with O'Loughlin starring on CBS's "Moonlight" and "Hawaii 5-0" and Taylor landing roles on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Charlie's Angels". Call it a silver lining if you wish.

Feed (2005)

Alex O'Loughlin gives a menacing performance in a subpar thriller

[18 July 2012]

The premise for "Feed", an Australian thriller, is reminiscent of such films as Seven, in which a biblical sin is fleshed out through a serial killer plot device. In Feed, a serial killer (O'Loughlin) manipulates women to overeat, so much that they'll hearts will eventually be stopped by their obese condition. Much like in Seven, the killer justifies his sociopathic actions through the sinful lifestyles of their victims, this time the deadly sin being gluttony.

The point of course is not that serial killers' actions are justifiable, but rather highlighting the moral corruption of society at large. People idolize their bodily beauty so much, that the end-result, whether it's anorexic underweight or obesity, that he end result can only be devastating ugliness and, literally and metaphorically, death.

While "Feed" then certainly is a movie that drives the point home with vehement conviction, the execution is its biggest obstacle in delivering that message to its audience. To put it simply, the film is so overly disgusting it's hardly possible to watch it, or finding an audience large enough to appreciate its message. Second, he execution of the script often trails to unintended comedy, that is, when it's not causing vomit-inducing reactions. And whence the two combine, the film begins to lose its thrive.

On a more positive note, its star, Alex O'Loughlin provides a chilling performance as a sociopathic egotist, whose religious convictions posit with an illusion of being on top of the food chain, an illusion that the film's twisted, dark ending smacks right out of him. Unfortunately, a few minutes of pure genius does not compensate for an hour and a half of pure amateur execution.

Easy A (2010)

Easy A gets an easy B

[19 June 2011]

If getting an A from an exam was as easy as it is to spread rumors in high school, then we'd all graduate with honors. That is what Olive (Emma Stone) learns the hard way in the comedy 'Easy A'.

In a high school populated by horny, gossipy teenagers, rumors can really bring you down. But what if you make those rumors work for your own profit? Olive provides the right service for those desperate males whose social status benefits from a few (false) rumors about having had sex with a girl.

In exchange, Olive asks for a few gift cards to have her favorite shops. But while providing a service that has obvious demand, Olive learns that her peers aren't exactly flush with money, hence the profit margins are slim. And then there's the whole issue of being labeled as the school tramp.

What is the most strange about this film filled with witty banter is that in my own experience, people in high schools aren't that interested in gossip. Sure, sleeping around will get you noticed, but as a rule, people in that age are far too concerned with their own problems to actually care anymore. Even if you're a group of over-the-top stuck-up Christians, whom seem to populate TV and cinema high schools these days,

While Easy A has to work hard to make its premise credible, there is no doubt the film isn't funny, thanks to its smart script and a performance by Emma Stone that won't be left unnoticed. Neither will the supporting cast, though someone needs to tell Penn Bagdley that playing the same role over and over again won't get him Oscars. Or you know, fame. Neither will a shaved chest, but that's not for here.

White Noise (I) (2005)

An Intolerably Bad Thriller Gets More Noisy Every Minute

[19 June 2011]

Have you noticed how thrillers that begin with a happy family preparing for breakfast always means one of them will die? This is the screenwriter's way of preparing us to be sad when one of the family members die in an accident. "Hey, this a happy family, when one dies it's really really bad, ya'll!" And then the surviving family goes crazy or gets depressed for the rest of the film.

"White Noise" is a psychological thriller, where the exact above scenario occurs. Anna (Chandra West) dies in a car accident, leaving a grieving husband, John (Michael Keaton) behind to utter bad dialog that even Keaton can't make work. Soon, he is followed by a very fat man (hard not to notice, huh?) who tells him he can contact the dead. "Sure thing, I'd love to hear my dead wife talk", says Keaton. Suppose he is a in a happy marriage, because most married couples don't want to hear each other talk even when they're alive and kicking.

But since this film is a thriller, lots of bad stuff begins to happen when the dead are called upon. The really fat guy dies, being crushed under a computer. If you can already see why this film is unintentionally funny, you're just enough intelligent to avoid seeing it.

The film gets its worst grove on when the ending hits the screens. My guess is that the writer couldn't come up with one, so he threw in something that requires special effects and, like, would be cool. Like, it wasn't...

The Universe (2007–2015)

The Universe has never been prettier on TV

[22 May 2011]

History Channel's "The Universe" is a documentary series that fuels its somewhat empty content with blazingly beautiful CGI of the most spectacular sights in the universe. The series covers stars, planets, cosmic weather (!), terra-formation, dark matter and the aggressive nature of the cosmos in hour-long episodes of visual effect candy.

The hook of the series is that you get to take a look at what Venus, Neptune or a nebula or a meteoroid strike on Earth would look like up- close, while the narrator explains the "science" behind it. I say "the science" because very little science is usually covered. Any complicated phenomena is usually explained through real-life analogies. A meteorite crashing the Earth is like shooting a ball with a rifle. The crater can be measured by drawing an analogy of throwing a weight plate on sand and measuring the width of the bump on the beach. And so on.

Then again, this series is not aiming to educate the experts or even science enthusiasts. It's written for the laymen, who just want to see what Venus looks like if you were standing on its ground. On high definition, those images are quite impressive and grab your attention.

Unfortunately, those images are continuously recycled, for probably no other than budgetary reasons. But images aren't the only reused on the show. Every time the show goes on a short commercial break, the narrator insists on recapping what happened just before the break. As if no one could remember the very easily comprehensible bits they had just been told a few minutes ago. In many ways, the series undermines the audience's intelligence and even memory by recapping and reusing its material over and over.

In fact, every season of the series contains at least one episode dedicating to apocalyptic events that wreak havoc on Earth, recycling the same scenarios over and over while adding a few new ones, even going as far as reusing the same narrations!

Regardless, while the Universe is admittedly a little dumb and condescendingly so, the imagery is sometimes truly astonishing. The CGI, of course, is nowhere near what many modern films, such as "2012" or even the "new" Star Wars films have accomplished, but for the small screen on high definition, it's pretty impressive.

And on the bright side, it is really exciting to see what Venus or a pulsar looks like, even if you get to see the same image about a hundred times. Its greatest virtue is its entertainment value. While its greatest vice is the lack of science, the series does introduce the audience to the basic ideas of the newest and hottest theories of contemporary astrophysics and related sciences and find out more by hitting the nearest university library.

War Eagle, Arkansas (2007)

The War Eagle flies with grace and subtlety, if not slightly off the mark

[23 April 2011]

A life in a small town is something of an oxymoron, as small towns tend to suffocate even the most admirable attempts to make it in the world. Unless you are watching Gilmore Girls, this is mostly the case in cinema, where anyone with any sense flees the small town life for a bigger adventure in an even bigger city. "War Eagle, Arkansas" is an exception, suggesting life in a small southern town may be just the kind of a place, in spite of its limitations, where a happy life awaits.

Luke Grimes, best known from his role on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters", gives a performance worth talking about. Grimes plays Enoch, a stuttering, shy and socially limited young man, whose only friend is Wheels, appropriately named since his medical condition has left him to live his life on a wheel-chair. The film's funniest lines are usually delivered by Wheels, who sees himself as quite the womanizer. Though Wheels may be physically handicapped and needs constant care, it is Enoch who is emotionally and socially handicapped, barely able to speak to anyone else without his stuttering getting out of control.

While Enoch shows aspirations to become a pitcher and receive a college scholarship, he is unsure whether the life of a star-pitcher is his dream. It certainly is his father's (Brian Dennehy), who has had enough of living the working class life with little money. Meanwhile, Enoch's infatuation with Abby (Misti Traya) causes friction in his friendship with Wheels, leaving him wonder if his place in the world is with his friend, or whether he should leave to pursue bigger dreams.

While the angle of the story is fresh, it never really gives enough reason to think Enoch should stay. Even when Enoch explains that most southerner's spend their first twenty years trying to get out and the next twenty to come back, the script cannot even convince itself that life in a small town is much of a treat. Tolerable, sure. Ideal? Only if one's ambitions don't reach that high. Then again, maybe that's the point.

Still, the excellent performance by Grimes works in the film's favor, as does the humor and the subtle drama between two best friends.

Harry's Law (2011–2012)

There's fun to be had with Harry's Law

[16 February 2011]

**this review is written based on the pilot episode only**

Getting fired for bashing your employer is a familiar situation for more than a few Facebook users, though Harriet Korn (Bates) does it in the conventional way, straight to her employer's face. Hitting the road, Harriet is involved in two consecutive accidents, being hit by a falling man (!) and a car, incidentally driven by another lawyer.

And because this is a David E. Kelley show, these events have some unexpected consequences. The man who falls on Harriet sending her to the hospital just happens to need free legal counseling. And the lawyer driving the car that sends Harriet to her second trip to the hospital just happens to be looking for meaning in life and volunteers to work for Harriet for free. Or at least, so it appears since Harriet never actually officially hires him. Also a good way to evade taxes.

Harry's Law is a funny show, which is what we would expect of Kelley. Where else would you find a law-firm slash shoe store in the same package? But the least appealing side of Harry's Law is the law, that is, the legal cases, which one could label as "liberal propaganda", not because they were overly liberal, but because Kelley's intention was to preach instead of telling a story.

The Chicago Code (2011)

A messy, unprovocative police drama is all style and no substance

[13 February 2011]

A woman enters a politician's office telling him that she's stumbled upon some evidence linking the company she works for to bribery within Chicago's political scene. Soon, she is killed. Well, apparently she was smart enough to know a bribe when she sees one, but not quite clever enough to realize that you do not report bribery to the very people who may well be the people accepting those bribes.

After this fatal mistake, the superintendent of the Chicago police (Beals) assigns Detective Wysocki (Clarke), a tough guy with a history of scaring off his partners and sleeping with his ex-wife while being engaged to another woman, to investigate the murder and help her expose the corruption in her city.

It me amazes me how flexible the superintendent's schedule is. She has the time to visit crime scenes, gangsters and the like in a city big enough to drown her in administrative duties. Well, perhaps she has delegated all her actual responsibilities to someone else.

Meanwhile, a bunch of irrelevant, lifeless characters dance around the case. Detective Wysocki's niece may or may not be falling for her partner, who may or may not be a douche-bag. Detective Caleb Evers (Lauria) sees things others don't and knows how to work with Det. Wysocki, which very well may be an actual miracle, considering Wysocki's track-record.

When all is said and done, we can be sure that these cops will do anything to bring down the corruption in the city. They also manage to bring interest in the show's storyline to a screeching halt, but perhaps its a problem one can fix, but I have a feeling it will require more than a few good bullets.

Burlesque (I) (2010)

A funny, traditional feel-good movie musical dazzles

[11 February 2011]

There are plenty of things that are wrong or off with Burlesque. Sometimes it's out of focus, the characters could have been more three- dimensional and its plot could have been more elaborate and original. Yet, "Burlesque" never fails to be entertaining and fun with occasional funny dialog, perfectly choreographed and directed dance and song numbers with a blooming love story in the mix. And there's Cher!

The aim of "Burlesque" is to provide the audience with a sense of feeling good about themselves, with an ease that is hard to express in words. When the story calls for character moments, it's all very sweet and innocent, even if these people wouldn't want to be seen as such. In one scene, Tess (Cher) discovers one of her dancers is pregnant (which opens the door for Christina Aguilera's Ali to assume her place and let her star shine). Tess is a very tough woman, so you'd expect the poor girl to be fired. Instead, Tess promises to take very good care of her and she has nothing to be afraid of.

The kind of sweetness even penetrates the burlesque numbers (no pun intended!). Even though they are very erotic and playful, there is no nudity to be found here. The women enjoy being on stage and dancing burlesque is just like any other job. When the working day is done, you'll go for pizza with your co-workers.

The sweetness is all the more surprising, considering the temptation to go from respectable to pure sexual exposition. Even the one sex scene in the film is about cookies and where to get them, if you'll be in the mood for a bite.

It's just that sweet.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

"Terminator 2" has enough icons to build a church

[8 February 2011]

When Cameron the sequel for "Alien", he titled it "Aliens". Terminator could have followed suit and be titled Terminators: Judgement Day, for the sequel is fueled by the impending showdown between The Terminator (Schwarznegger) and the improved T-1000 (Patrick). In the end, the final battle is something of a disappointment, mostly because there's less fighting and more gimmickry involved, but none the less, Terminator 2 is one of the most substantive action films ever made.

Much attributes to the sequel being a success. First of all, Cameron takes his time with the characters - although we already know Sarah Connor (Hamilton) from the first film, her troubles at the insane asylum push her over the edge into a killing machine of her own. When Sarah finally takes matters of fate into her own hands, she leaves enough carnage behind to be the human terminator.

Smart plot and character twists are used from the beginning. When Schwarznegger's Terminator first appears, he assumes the identity of a leather-clothed motorcyclist. When T-1000 first appears, he becomes a cop. One of them is sent to protect John Connor. But it's the cop who turns out to be evil.

And speaking of an evil cop, Robert Patrick in his early thirties might be a ruthless killing machine, but no amount of bullets stops him from being handsome. It's almost cruel that the man of everybody's dreams is made out of metal, seeking to kill humanity's last hope. But really, aren't they all?

And luckily for the audience, the metal is among one of those things which gave room for some great special effects, still looking amazing after twenty years. Such moments as the T-1000 camouflaging itself as floor-tiles (!) and raising up still look as inventive anything done with today's visual effects. And no doubt, not a single human being can forget the detonation of a nuclear bomb, turning Linda Hamilton into a burning carcass.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is a complex action film, which fully embraces its characters and their story arcs, while continuously showing off its visual capabilities of its director.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)

Like those tanned Jersey Shore guys, "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" is silly entertainment

[31 January 2011]

The Starz cable channel's prequel for "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is like the spawn of Jersey Shore and "300", with the non-existent thematic content and spray tan of the former and the homo-erotic overtones and battle scenes of the latter. Clearly edited by someone at MTV, "Gods of the Arena" is a modern take on Roman gladiator antiques embedded with brutal death scenes, gallons of fake blood, lesbian sex scenes and so preposterously pseudo-poetic dialog, that it's all too clear to everyone even the writers aren't taking this seriously.

And neither will the audience, which is probably fifty percent straight young men and fifty percent gay men admiring the muscular-yet-pretty- yet-manly men, whom as a rule fight without their shirts on and some of them even borrowing some of Christina Aguilera's wardrobe from the "Dirrty" music video. The rest of the props might have been borrowed from "Gladiator", but you didn't hear that from me.

Regardless, to produce such an over-the-top show, which will put anything Liza Minelli has ever thrown at us in shame, is clearly intended for people who get in on the joke, but as for someone who was merely a little amused by its silliness, the glass is only half full.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

A celebrated show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was game changer for the WB

[31 January 2011]

**this review is based on the entire series**

An odd show called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" brought a lot of changes to television. Featuring a unique story arc each season blurred the line between procedural and serial TV, with each episode functioning as a stand-alone episode, while contributing to the overall season-length story arcs, which on their own right created a series long arc. People who hadn't watched Buffy before could jump right back in, and if they didn't like the current season-long story arc, they could just come back next season or enjoy the stand-alone episodes.

These changes are not always noticed, but were successfully employed later on such shows as "Desperate Housewives", though Buffy was never as serialized as the aforementioned show. But "Buffy" no doubt reached levels of quality the other shows on the now-defunct WB could only dream of.

What made "Buffy" successful was that it was never really about vampires. Vampires and monsters provided humor and in some cases very emotionally engaging drama, such as the turning of the re-souled Angel into the soulless vampire Angelus, who orchestrated one of the most shocking death scenes ever featured on the show.

"Buffy" was always about the characters, their growth and their lives. The characters in turn were always about themes, expressing abstract ideas and ideals through people who seemed very real, despite the fantasy setting of the series. Slayers aren't real - but people who do not fit in high school and stay sane with the help of their friends is very real and something people could relate to.

These were "Buffy's" strong suites. Did it have any weaknesses? Naturally. The first season of the show feature some of the sillier story lines of the entire series making the show almost unwatchable but the famous witty dialog was there from the beginning. And after the initial hick-ups, season two began showing "Buffy's" ambitions.

On occasion, even Buffy created dull characters, but the writers quickly disposed of such characters (unless you are Agent Riley) and went with what worked, surprised and engaged the audience.

Rubicon (2010)

Off-beat or off-the-mark is a matter of opinion for "Rubicon"

[30 January 2011]

"Rubicon" is by no means a regular television series. It's quite different from anything else on the small screen right now. But is the different in this case of the good kind? The promise of the pilot episode is that it is not, but taking into account the fanfare the short-lived series has received, a negative review of "Rubicon" will no doubt be met with hostility.

It's the AMC cable channel's first new show of the 2010's. Clearly more of an experiment than an actual story, the pilot episode sets something or another in motion, but it isn't clear what. Someone dies, someone shoots himself or maybe they didn't.What we do know is that nobody in this world likes bright colors, as the series makes a depressing use of greyness. The characters are just as bleak and were they real people, they'd be medicated by now.

In the pilot episode not much happens, not anything that makes sense anyway. For sure, these things will be explained in time, but there is no mystery or scene in the entire pilot that would function as a hook, to pull in the audience. Clearly, something must have worked for those who absolutely love this series, but just like those codes the agents try to crack in the story, the code of the pilot must be so well-hidden it will take a very unique personality to catch it.

Whether the pilot will reveal itself to be something unique or just something extraordinarily boring will be a matter of very divided tastes, but there is no denying that the depressing mood of the series will be only for a limited audience.

Dollhouse (2009–2010)

Unstable writing is made up by excellent ensemble cast

[30 January 2011]

Eliza Dushku is a character actress. By that I mean she plays the same character in every show she is in, and has become quite good at it. On the other hand, if you didn't like as "Faith" in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", you'll likely dislike in "Dollhouse" too, which is helmed by Dushku and executive-produced by "Buffy" creator, Joss Whedon.

Like "Buffy", Dollhouse takes its time building itself, adding the extra dimensions as the initial stumbling phase is over. The infamous five first episodes single handedly sunk this show in the ratings (though we can blame the Friday death slot, too). The good news is that if you start watching the show with the sixth episode, the chances are that you'll like this show. As viewing strategies go, Dollhouse requires some shuffling, as the second season gets off the ground only after the third episode, so the second season is best to start with the fourth. Complicated? You betcha.

Dollhouse is however a closer relative to "Alias" than "Buffy", as far as its premise goes. Eliza Dushku plays "Echo", who absorbs different identities with the aid of a groundbreaking 'imprinting' technology. Dollhouse refers to the organization and the underground building where a set of 'dolls' - Actives without an ongoing imprint - live in harmony and peace during during the interim of their missions. But no technology can completely wipe out the person underneath and Echo retains more and more self-awareness as the series goes on.

In the foot-steps of "Alias", the villains of the series out-rank the heroes. The staff of the Dollhouse includes so many ambivalent characters that they could be Dolls themselves. And at least one of them is (you'll be surprised!).

Nonetheless, Joss Whedon's ability to write story arcs filled with surprises and emotional investment in the characters remains intact. For a show that only ran for two seasons with thirteen episodes each, the Dollhouse universe is as expansive as any other science fiction series, though perhaps the instability of quality may create complications for those who watch the episodes in order, which I highly recommend against.

Alias (2001–2006)

In a plot-driven world of espionage, characters take the backseat

[30 January 2011]

Alias was never a great show, but it did reach the level of "good enough" on many an occasion throughout its five year run. Shows with strong female leads were in high gear when Alias begun airing on the ABC, trailing the successes of such iconic shows as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Dark Angel", "The Relic Hunter" and especially the video game heroine, Lara Croft in "Tomb Raider". With a recipe for success, Alias should have been great. What made it falter?

The premise of "Alias" made it intriguing, but it was also its greatest handicap. As Jennifer Garner assumed different identities as Agent Sydney Bristow (whom incidentally worked for at least three intelligence agencies throughout the series), the lead character remained distant, hard to reach, none of which was Garner's fault. In more than a few aliases, she was able to combine humor, drama and sexy outfits without losing credibility.

Only all the shows characters were just as difficult to connect with. In another matter, it was the villains who had most of the character in the show. Lena Olin as Sydney Bristow's mother and Ron Rifkin as Sydney's boss were characters whose identities shifted. Were they evil? Were they good? What is their ultimate agenda? Their characters were written so that in every season these were open questions.

As the characters took more or less the backseat, it was the plot that drove the series. Or not really the plot, but the twists. Were they great twists? Initially, they kept the suspense going. Afterwards, you'll remember none of them. The plot of Alias is far more simple, if you just ignore the story arcs for individual episodes, which were utilized in the vein of "The X Files" to distract you from the overall story arc. Which by the series finale revealed itself to be quite simple.

Alias is not a show with that many memorable moments, but it is like a roller coaster - fun while it lasts and easily forgotten when the next fun ride comes along.

The Walking Dead (2010–2022)

Season one of "The Walking Dead" is a fun sport

[29 January 2011]

**this review is written based on the first season**

If zombie-apocalypses occurred in real-life as often as it did in fiction, the over-population problems of our planet would be taken care of. But wait, wouldn't the zombies still be crowding the places? "The Walking Dead" takes its cue from "28 Days Later" universe and shows that zombies can die of hunger too, even if they can withstand it for a very long time. In fact, even if there is no intestinal system to process human flesh, the zombies of this AMC show are doing quite well - but make no mistake, they can be killed.

And that's the good news for the group of survivors, whom include a few cops, pizza-delivery guy, two sisters, a wife-beater and his wife and child, some hilly-billies and gangsters. In the series, one distinguishing aspect of the story is that these people don't really change much initially, even though the global tally of living people is getting close to zero. A wife beater still finds his prime character trait alive and kicking, and a naive cop is still a naive cop, no matter what happens.

"The Walking Dead" is much more a character show, than plot-driven. Balancing between the horror of ending up being either dead or a living dead or losing the last loved-one and trying to go on is what keeps things interesting. These people really want to continue to lead their lives, both in good and bad and we are there to fear for their sake and to be happy for the little achievements they make.

It's also a very scary show.

The Pacific (2010)

Intense battle scenes with character moments in the mix, The Pacific excels

[29 January 2011]

The thing with war films and, or in this case a war miniseries, the cast members have to stand out with their physical qualities as well as acting capabilities, because in the army wardrobe, everyone looks exactly the same. The Pacific is no different and with an expansive cast, some characters go on unnoticed. And in more than a few death scenes, the intention is to generate some emotional drama, but unfortunately it takes quite a while to even recognize who was just killed in action, therefore taking away from the emotional impact.

As the marines are covered in mud and dirt, the real focus of the ten- parter mini series is on the intensity, fear and brutality of war. In each battle scene the only objective is to stay alive, a purpose which the audience will emotionally engage in, because the gruesome battle scenes are filmed with the intensity of being there, a short of realism that can shock without being over-the-top. Any character can die at any moment and you know it.

Between battles (and even during them) we allowed some glimpses of the characters who populate the battlefields. As the war begins, many of these men behave honorably but as the war goes on without an end, they experiment with brutality, such as pulling out gold-teeth from both dead and alive Japanese soldiers. In a very effective scene, there is a Japanese soldier with his head open. Another soldier finds it amusing to throw rocks into the open skull filled with brain-tissue and rain-water.

The Pacific has certain flaws, one of them which is that it is light on plot. As the effect of the intense battles begins to wear off after the first five or six episodes, a need for some plot to kicks things up again. But even such iconic events as the Hiroshima bombings are left off-screen, perhaps to sway away from too clear political innuendos. Another major setback is that the final episode is not much of a climax but more of an extended epilogue, which brings back some of the major characters from the early episodes and the ones last left standing. Emotional closure is attempted, but not quite achieved.

Regardless of its flaws, "The Pacific" is a very rewarding experience, depicting both the victories and losses of the marine corps in the Pacific battles. The honesty of the series is welcoming, but its overall depressing tone may not invite for a second viewing.

Life Unexpected (2010–2011)

An unexpected premise leads into a engaging drama, if not plagued by unstable quality of writing

[26 January 2011]

Lux Cassidy (Britt Robertson) finds herself in one of those quirky situations, where Fate is clearly laughing at her maliciously. Or so it would seem in the beginning anyway, as Lux seeks for emancipation from foster care at the age of fifteen.

Not everything goes as planned as Lux is assigned to the care of her newly discovered biological parents, whom are even loss grown up than her, the father, Nate Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha) spending his time partying in a bar he owns and her mother, Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby, of "Roswell" fame) being a successful radio personality, who is engaged to Ryan (Kerr Smith, of "Dawson's Creek" fame), yet suffers from critical commitment issues.

Although Life Unexpected is about the unexpected happening, the show is at its core about Lux and Cate becoming a daughter and a mother, respectively, even though neither has much sense of what it entails. Lux is just as unadjusted to being told what to do (that is, being raised) as Cate is unaware of what it requires to tell someone what to do.

As a series as a whole, Life Unexpected is a mature drama, which takes its time with its story lines, as present actions and past experiences leave long-lasting effects on its characters, which is quite a feat considering only twenty six episodes were filmed before the show's cancellation.

Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)

A heartwarming show with some of the best dialog on the small screen

[26 January 2011]

Gilmore Girls is truly a talk show. In fact, what you will remember about this show is the talking. Why so? Is it funny? Absolutely. Is the dialog witty? You bet. Are there any funny one-liners to print on my T- Shirt? No.

The dialog of Gilmore Girls is infamously fast-paced and there are no one-liners to tell your friend to convince him or her to watch this show. As the Girls talk fast, the dialog goes on for considerably long stretches, as what usually would take actors for minutes to say, Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel and co finish in less than a minute. Simply put, not even the die hard fans of this show will have the memory capacity to re-iterate a funny conversation between the quirky characters of this show.

Living in a small town of Stars Hollow, Lorelai Gilmore (Graham) is a thirty-something mother raising her 15-year-old daughter, Rory "Lorelai" Gilmore (Bledel), surrounded by townspeople, whom have mysteriously all learned to speak faster than the speed of light and have witty comments to throw at people's way, anytime anywhere.

The witty humor of Gilmore Girls is more heartfelt than mean, as it tends to be, and the show is easy to fall in love with. It's not just that Lorelai and Rory are best friends and a unique screen team, you'll grow to be their friend as well and will sorely miss them when the last episode of the last season is over.

Caprica (2009–2010)

A genuine Greek tragedy has ambition like no other

[24 January 2011]

**this review is written based on the entire series** Caprica is a Greek tragedy in the fold of a science fiction tale. Why is it a Greek tragedy? The main plot line of Caprica involves a powerful family, the Graystones, who lose their daughter Zoe (Torresani) in an act of terrorism, only to find out that their daughter was one of the people responsible for the horrendous act. Before her death, Zoe had created an avatar of herself in a virtual world, created and produced by her father's (Stoltz) company. As the head of the family Daniel Graystone discovers the avatar and downloads her into one his robot creations, creating a sentient being. Accidentally, the avatar-Zoe program is destroyed and Daniel believes her daughter is now gone for good.

Only she isn't. As the series progresses, Daniel both tortures the robot, unaware his daughter is still there, and aims to create a slave race of semi-sentient combat robots to which Zoe's person is the main ingredient. In the end, Zoe becomes the leader of a resistance army that enslaves their human masters. I can perfectly imagine some ancient Greek had written this, as the Greeks were very affectionate towards families, whom make disastrous choices in ignorance of the facts, such as being ignorant of the true identity of the person we destroy.

As a special technical note, the series should be watched on high definition, as there is a vast difference in visuals between the regular and HD formats. Caprica employs a huge amount of innovative special effects, which are not made justice without high resolution.

The Fighter (I) (2010)

The initial depression turns into hope and victory

[22 January 2011]

**this review contains only light spoilers**

The Fighter is one of those films that you see for its stars, not because they are stars but because their performances were raved about. As a story, this based-on-true-story boxing drama has a lot to say about use, abuse, negligence and growing up, even if you are "not getting any younger".

Micky (Wahlberg) has been a professional fighter for his whole life, much like his brother Dicky (Bale) in a miserable small town of Lowell, where Dicky spends most of his time in a crack house, to which the brothers' mother/manager Alice (Leo) keeps a blind eye. But Dicky is not the only one abusing something, in his case substances, Alice remains unaware of how she abuses Micky's career and self-confidence by offering only fights where he can lose and pave the way for others to win.

Not until Micky sets his eyes on a straight talking, college drop-out bartender Charlene (Adams) that he learns exactly how stagnating his life has become. Recognizing Micky's potential, Charlene takes the reigns and nudges Micky towards the right path.

In this film the roles of villains and heroes shift, except for Micky who is a constant, the person who fights for what is right. But being unaware of their own and each others' motives, the emotional baggage they have harbored for each other reach the surface.

In a scene which will most likely be remembered by all, Alicia finds out that Micky has opted for another manager, effectively firing her. In a family where family comes first, Alicia and her what must be at least ten daughters pack into a small car to confront Micky and Charlene. In a hilarious cat fight, Charlene defends Micky and punches one of the daughters right in the face and it is Micky who has to stop the fight. Which is irony at its best. But quickly the humor turns into drama, when Alicia can only look at her son with tears on her eyes, wondering why Micky would betray her. For at least to her, that's what Micky is doing.

In the end, we can trust that the story ends well. After a very depressing, naturalistic first half, we arrive at a (subtle) transformation into hope. And I applaud this direction, because far to many movies take the route of either preaching how we can't get a happy ending, but the Fighter shows how fighting for one's future is always worth the punches.

Off the Map (2011)

Off the Map gets on air with a rough start.

[16 January 2011]

**this review is written based on the pilot episode**

There is nothing better than a fresh start, which drives a bunch of doctors into South America to provide health care in a free clinic. And the word fresh indeed conjures images of oranges bathing in the sun in somewhere tropical, and into the tropics we go in a new Shonda Rhimes executive produced medical drama, Off the Map.

Actually, the show is very much off the map since it is filmed in Hawaii, but takes place "somewhere in South America", which made me curious if the writers of the show didn't have access to maps. Regardless, the show's setting is quite stunning and the ocean has never looked better.

But that is what strikes me as odd. Considering the show's premise, you would expect to see an overcrowded, run-down medical clinic with desperate patients and even more stressed out doctors in continuous crisis over shortage of medical supplies. Instead, everyone seems to be pretty well off, the clinic runs smoothly and nothing is broken down. It's all actually quite pretty.

But I am getting off-track here. The story introduces us to three new doctors whom have just arrived from the States. They are welcomed less than warmly by the another trio of doctors (do you see the match-making formula here?), whom have little faith in the newcomers, pointing out that in the tropics, they won't last a day. Perhaps the writers forgot to write in the hardships the new docs are supposed to encounter, since none are present in the pilot.

Emerging romances, conflicting personalities and painful past stories are laid down in the pilot of Off the Map. It's a Shonda Rhimes show. Even if she didn't actually create it. But as Shonda did with Private Practice, the rough start will eventually find its own footing, or at least we can hope.

Julia's Eyes (2010)

As Julia battles with her eyesight, the film battles with lack of suspense

[16 January 2011]

For a film titled Julia's Eyes, Belen Rueda's, whom plays the titular character, has very unremarkable eyes, even though much of screen time revolves around them. None the matter, the actress proves she can carry a role in a thriller which thrives thematically but wanders in quality and not always in the good direction.

As thrills are scarce, the story centers on Julia, whose blind twin sister Sara is killed by an unknown man, whom Sara (also played by Rueda) has been involved with. Only the police believes she committed suicide. As Julia is driven to investigate her sister's death, she loses her own eye sight to a series of small, stress-induced strokes. The more she looks for her sister's killer, the less she is able to see.

This is a kind of a genius idea, not only on plot level, but on character level too. We know Julia is a determined woman and loves her sister very much, even though they we never see them together and have no idea what their relationship has been like.

As for the issue of themes, there is much to be said about seeing and being and not being seen by other people, which is what the film excels at. If not so much with everything else.