Blog Series: Abroad (Episode 19: The Empty Pockets)

Well, it is November and it is a kind of cursed time right now. First and foremost: I don’t have any money at the moment. Since I am in Vancouver this is the third (or maybe fourth?) time I am completely broke, and this time it is not really that funny.
Second: The Olympics suck , because they kill lots of jobs in Vancouver these days. Either you are one of the lucky ones and get hired by Vanoc (they own the government and basically control everything what is going on around the Olympics), or you are not. I once was one of the lucky ones, but now I am unemployed, looking for a job, looking for a new temp agency and new ways to delay my rent pay.
Third: I should have paid my hostel rent on Friday, today is Tuesday, so let’s see how long it will take for me to get the money (and the managers of the crap house to find me, muhaha).

Labour Unlimited didn’t pay off this month. They don’t want to give me any more jobs, because I don’t get any repeats – their words (repeats are, like the word says, going to be hired for the same company the next day). Only I did get repeats these last weeks, but they failed to see that they were just a few of them during a period of a few weeks (in between I was sick with the flu). Before I get into an argument with these guys I changed the temp agency and try again. Hopefully the next two months are going to get a bit better, October wasn’t really a lucky month.

This situation lets me think about returning a bit earlier to Germany than I anticipated. I still didn’t change the return flight (it is still on January 1st), and I planned not to change it, because for now I don’t know what will be the situation in December. When the jobs are coming and I have money, then I will use the opportunity to delay my flight for four weeks. But I don’t think I will be that lucky.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Season 3

Click here for the review of Season 2

The third season of Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer was marked by the arrival in Sunnydale of renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a moody loner who seemed to like her demon-staking calling just a little too much. While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was always wary of Faith, the two developed a deep friendship and appreciative rapport – that is, until the evil mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener) tapped into Faith’s dark side and lured her into his plot to take over the world, first as a double agent spying on Buffy, then as out-and-out nemesis. And as the mayor’s ascension approached – which happened to fall on Sunnydale High’s graduation day – Buffy and Faith’s battles got nastier and nastier, as Buffy attempted to wrestle with her dark side, save the world and her friends (again), and keep her lover Angel (David Boreanaz) out of Faith’s evil clutches – and out of evil’s evil clutches.

Episode 01: Anne
It was a good episode. Buffy is dealing with past happenings, coming around Angel’s death and trying to turn away from her old life. At least her disappearance from the last episode didn’t get a shitty conclusion, but took a whole episode to deal with this topic – good. And it was good that the other characters in Sunnydale didn’t get much screentime, and only one vampire and their first day of school. Even though the talk Giles (Anthony Steward Head) and with Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) was pretty interesting and full of character moments. Not only tries Joyce to accept Buffy being the slayer, she still looks for excuses, why Buffy moves far and far away from her. And she has kind of right. Giles really is a big father figure in Buffy’s life and he sometimes took most of her time.
The demon story was alright, it gave a nice conflict for Buffy and a reason to return. And with the appearance of Lily (Julia Lee) we have a character from season two back for one episode and another little conflict for Buffy.
Just the fact that Buffy must have been sad all summer long gets a bit on my nerves – nobody can be that sad all the time – she shut herself out from life all the time, didn’t meet people, did nothing? Kind of unreliable. To run away from life means you have to live another life and not think about it… 7,5/10

Episode 02: Dead Man’s Party
An average episode, even though the most interesting story, Buffy’s efforts to reinstate herself into her old life, was the best here, but cut way too short. Buffy had some discussions with her friends in here (despite the cheesiness of the verbal fight during the party, especially Xander’s (Nicholas Brendon) behavior), but the real aftermath was kind of missing in this episode. Instead the writers had to deal big with a Nigerian mask, which rises the dead. Not really interesting and of course full of cliches: The zombies behaved like real zombies from classic monster movies. To be honest, the whole zombie/mask/whatever story was completely useless, uninteresting and dull. But all the scenes involving Buffy and her friends getting back to their old life were great. 5,5/10

Episode 03: Faith, Hope and Trick
Finally the season really begins. With Faith’s introduction. Buffy’s grieve is over after she told the truth what really happened (great scene) and she even tries to get a date. Joyce is finally living with the fact that her daughter is the slayer and even learns that she died for a couple of minutes. So pretty much nice development in all of the characters. Even Faith’s introduction into the Buffyverse was pretty much good. She succeeded Kendra and she is a troubled person (which lets me ask the following: Who is choosing the slayers at all?). And at least she came to Sunnydale with a backstory (pissing off a fishy vampire with three fingers), even though it would have been better, when the story actually was a bit better. A watcher was killed and nobody really cared.
Faith in the Summers house was nice, this is what makes her to a likable character, and how she beat the crap out of one of the vampires was just nice, this promises some more action in this season and it promises that Faith will have some problems to deal with.
The cliffhanger seems nice, though I wished not to see it: Angel is back from hell (or wherever he was). I still wish the writers chose letting him in hell, but WB wanted to have a spin-off with him, so he had to come back… 7,5/10

Episode 04: Beauty and the Beasts
Pretty much a boring episode, even though it is Angel’s first episode back after his death in the second season finale. I am stunned that Angel might have been a monster in here, but he was able to style his hair… Funny.
The story about the high school couple, the Jekyll & Hyde theme, was really boring and didn’t interest me a bit. Scott (Fab Filippo) brings some new characters into the game and it was so damn obvious that they are important for the story. Platt (Phill Lewis) as school psychiatrist would have been interesting, but he was killed in his first episode. Bummer. At best the story about Oz (Seth Green) probably being the killer of the student was interesting, but this was pretty much solved during the second half.
Well, I still don’t like the fact that the writers had to bring back Angel. Not only will his love story with Buffy starts from the beginning (again), but Angel is not that interesting in here. Really. Maybe his return from wherever he came from could be interesting, because of the “wherever he came from” – where was he? 4,5/10

Episode 05: Homecoming
A good and interesting episode, not only because of the Mayor’s introduction. Apart from the questionable storylines (what does the Mayor want from Trick (K. Todd Freeman), or why is it always so difficult to hunt down Buffy and finally kill her – even the Germans were really stupid enemies) and the Buffy/Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) feud (even though they seem to be friends at the end, but they will ever “hate” each other) I liked the episode. Okay, the fight about being the homecoming queen was funny and so, but the series doesn’t need typical high school, stories for only one episode, when I already know the ending won’t develop any of the main characters.
The ending was funny – for the first time a tie, Buffy and Cordy are about to hear their names and then the other contestants win. Totally hilarious in my eyes. And like I said, I don’t know what the Mayor has to do with Trick – it is obvious that the writers wanted to keep Trick as a temporary enemy for Buffy, but the real reason is missing. It was nice though to see one of the Texan vampires from season two back again. I had to laugh, when he ran away from Cordy. 7,5/10

Episode 06: Band Candy
Pretty boring episode, but at least a funny one. Even though we find out more about the Mayor; Ethan’s (Robin Sachs) return and Giles and Joyce making out without stopping, this episode was just a filler, like the last two episodes, just to waste some time until the next episode.
Well, like I said, the episode was hilarious. Giles a teenager again, making out with Buffy’s mom in front of Buffy and Buffy herself trying to be the adult was nice and had a bit of a character development – this
all was cool, but I can’t think of any more than this episode just being a filler. Not only Angel has no screentime in here, and I am not talking about Faith.
And getting the newborn was just a lame excuse for this story, the vampires simply could have gone into the hospital, made a little kill spree and got the newborn – what’s so difficult to do this and why the deal with the cursed chocolate?
Yeah, it was funny, but one of the most useless episodes in Buffy history. 5,5/10

Episode 07: Revelations
This is an episode I wanted to see during the last six episodes. Finally no filler, instead great stories, developments and ideas of what’s to come this season.
Faith getting a new watcher was a good idea (and it was necessary after all to give Faith a new watcher), but her being the bad one was pretty obvious. And finally the scooby gang finds out that Angel is alive again (only their reaction was a bit over the top – even Giles cannot only see the things Angel did to him; as a watcher he has to see the whole picture), so Angel can be integrated more into the story in future episodes.
The first Buffy vs Faith was awesome and it was not the last. It is great to see that the writers planned this storyline from the beginning. I just find it amusing that Faith knocked out Angel and he was unconscious for, like, ten minutes and then wakes up to save Willow (Alyson Hannigan) (that was more funny than surprising).
The deal about the glove was boring though, and the finale came a bit too fast; and I wished to see the scooby gang dealing more about Angel actually being the good guy again.
But the fights were really good. Finally some classic slayer vs slayer (I know, Kendra and Buffy fought in season two, but Kendra is almost forgotten, and dead, while Faith is in the story right now). 8,5/10

Episode 08: Lover’s Walk
Funny and serious episode, and a test balloon, how the writers can deal with Spike (James Marsters), even though his story is over and he already was the main enemy. There are already many parallels with later seasons and the ending of the episode is pretty much awesome.
Sure, the story around Spike ain’t great and nothing is happening (he doesn’t get Drusilla back, he doesn’t get killed, he is the same old Spike from season two with the exception of his love talk), but how the scooby gang is dealing with him is awesome. Even though I couldn’t believe that all of them were believing really fast that Spike returned, especially Buffy while on the phone with Joyce.
Funny moments were Spike talking his soul out with Willow, while she is scared of him killing her and definitely Spike talking to Joyce; I was short before laughing very hard. Just the fact that Angel was “accidentally” at the Summers house and seeing Spike, thinking he wants to kill Joyce was laughable in a negative way; such coincidences are just stupid and unintentionally funny. But what the hell.
The little relationship drama Willow/Oz/Xander/Cordy growing to its highest point was awesome, though it was (unintentionally) funny, that Cordy and Oz ran into Willow and Xander while kissing. And I wouldn’t know what to begin with Cordy’s accident right after that (probably, just to show the funeral scene and have the gag in it), when I wouldn’t know the next episode.
And how good would it be, when the friendship of the gang is broken, while they are saving the world? The end of the episode was a good start. 8/10

Episode 09: The Wish
Great episode. Cordy is still dealing with the “break-up” and wished practically hell on Earth. The introduction to that story was already settled in the last episode, while Cordy was thinking about her life in the hospital (still a scene in which Charisma Carpenter looked really great and really serious for the first time in the show). And this episode gives us the introduction of Anya (Emma Caulfield), a well-known character in later episodes.
It was obvious that the alternate reality story was coming in Buffy sooner or later and even though the setting of the alternate reality wasn’t a surprise (because there had something to come), but what happened during the 42 minutes was awesome. Cordy killed by Xander-vamp and Willow-vamp in the middle of the episode (so the actual reason, why we are in this reality isn’t there anymore, it is like Psycho: Mill the main character, before the movie hits half time); Xander and Willow being creepy vampires (which gives Alyson Hannigan a cool opportunity to play outside of her sweet Willow character, now she is the sweet and cold-blooded vampire – awesome); the Master (Mark Metcalf) risen from the Harvest and developing technology for sucking up blood in a better and more “human” way (LOL); and Angel is the puppet for everyone, especially Willow (great scenes between the two).
For me, it came just a bit too fast how Giles figured out the Anyanka deal, and Buffy came really fast to Sunnydale, without even asking a question – she was so cold in her role here, I was asking me why she even bothered to go to Sunnydale. But the final fight was awesome. Half of the gang gets killed and the Master even won over Buffy, and with that great score playing in the background, the scene had a few goosebumps effects. I just wished the scene would be a bit longer or we actually would see Buffy hit the ground after she was killed.
One of my highlights. 9,5/10

Episode 10: Amends
Another great episode, when you look under the surface of it. You don’t see it, but here are battling the good and the evil against each other, and Angel is only their playing ball. It is only a shame that the writers didn’t plan to show it more in the story. Instead we only learn about the First, and we only know that it actually exists (it is interesting that Giles didn’t know about it before; it comes a bit illogical, when he and the gang is learning everything about their enemies, when they are actually in Sunnydale and threatening lives), for more you have to wait four more seasons.
At least Angel got a story of his own, after he was barely a main character these last episodes, and together with his flashbacks the episode had a nice touch and brought us Angel a bit closer again. Even though I didn’t need his flashbacks, but they were necessary for the First to appear in the people Angel killed in the past. His doubts were interesting, though bad acted (I had to laugh, when he was touching his head and trying to play craziness, because that totally didn’t work out) and Buffy’s first standoff with the First was hilarious (“All right. I get it, you’re evil. Do we have to chat about it all day?” – “You have no idea what you are dealing with.” “Let me guess, is it… evil?”). Haha, I was laughing.
I just don’t believe that Angel would kill himself to save Buffy. Not only out of character, but the scene in which Buffy tries to bring Angel the word “strong” closer looked good, but at the end it was way too much, because I couldn’t buy the situation. And on top of it the sun didn’t rise, it didn’t even go bright. It stayed night the complete day. I am laughing. I know, it was highly possible that the Powers That Be were responsible for the snow to save Angel, but at least the writers could have shown that it was actually DAYTIME and not in the middle of the night.
The return of Robia LaMorte was awesome though. I miss her since Angel killed Jenny. A shame that she never did anything good after Buffy. 8,5/10

Episode 11: Gingerbread
Another one of those filler episodes and a pretty boring one, too. The story seemed interesting, but it got boring, after the ghosts were revealed, because it was a real mystery before, without actually being a real big mystery. The witch hunt of course reminded me of Salem and all the other witch and religious hunts in the history of mankind, but the writers could have done more.
It would have been nice to see Joyce possessed or something and let her be the main enemy of the episode; Buffy fighting against her mother to save her, but it never came to that, bummer. And the final “fight” was a bit lame – Buffy trying the whole time to free herself and then suddenly she manages to break the pole and stabs the demon? Muhaha, I was laughing. Well, at least the scene was intended to be funny.
Cordy to Giles was funny, too: “How often are you knocked out anyway?” I already can’t count the times Giles was knocked out and this was indeed a funny scene…
By the way: Is it just me or didn’t the writers conclude the ritual sign things. Willow said they were for protection, but why were they on the kids’ hands? 5/10

Episode 12: Helpless
A good episode. And the start of a new little story, even though the story of the episode was filler. At least we learn something more about the Watcher’s council and how they are practically the bosses of the slayers and their watchers.
The vampire of the week was kind of funny. Jeff Kober can always play the bad guy (I only know him as the bad guy anyway), but his actions were just… stupid. He kills one of his guards, makes him to a vampire, but actually can’t free himself and has to wait? And how did he know where Buffy lived to take her mother? And how did he even know that Buffy was the one to “play” with and not any other girl on the street?
Buffy without her superpowers was a good idea, and I really liked Giles in this one, but for a better episode the writers have to build around the plot holes, not actually on it. 7,5/10

Episode 13: The Zeppo
It is interesting that the writers once dealt with the story of “Nobody will ever know what happened”, and that’s why this episode is good. And funny. Buffy and the rest of the scooby gang fight their biggest fight yet, and Xander has other problems to fight, just because the gang didn’t want him in their fight. Another example that the series is for an ensemble cast. Buffy was not even a second-row character in this one; with her five-minute screentime she almost had nothing to do.
Xander’s zombie story was old, but cool and funny. It is nice how he develops as a character here, even though he had one too many one liner. At least zombies just want to have fun is something new, I didn’t see that all the time. And Xander having sex with Faith… ROFL. I don’t even know why the writers put that in the episode, it seems so unimportant. And funny (here is it again).
And the apocalypse problems of the gang? I almost was surprised how much screentime that story got; with a little less screentime (Buffy’s scene in the bar
could have been cut out) it would have been better, especially when Xander’s story crossed with the apocalypse (saving Faith, meeting Giles and Willow, running from the demons). 8/10

Episode 14: Bad Girls
Finally, the season story arc can really begin now, after the writers included everything they want to have included for the episodes. The Mayor is invincible now (pretty lame for just a one-episode arc), Faith is about to change sides, a new watcher is in town and we had the fattest vampire ever in vampire television history.
Wesley’s (Alexis Denisof) introduction was very nice and I was laughing when he and Giles simultaneously cleaned their glasses. Funny as well was how all of them handled Wesley as the new watcher, especially Giles with his snippy one liner.
Buffy and Faith on an action trip was very nice, at least we had some nice vampire action for a change; how they entered the nest by daylight looked really cool. And with Faith’s murder we have a new story starting (finally I would say); there isn’t much time left until she and the Mayor meet – but first Faith has to be separated from the scooby gang (which had enormously lots of screentime here. Not).
Important episode for the season, but actually not a great one. Just good. 7/10

Episode 15: Consequences
Basically the second part of the Bad Girls episode with all the aftermath of Faith’s murder. Buffy has nightmares, Faith still doesn’t care about what she did and everybody tries to get Faith back to her old manners (if she had any from the start). And even though the cliffhanger was necessary for the story arc, I just don’t know why Faith would go to the Mayor to work for him. What is her reason for that? She never was really that bad, she only had bad influence in the life she lived, but that was never a reason, why she changed sides.
It was nice of the writers to give Xander another chance to help without his superpowers, and like in The Zeppo, he almost died trying to help Faith (here as well: How did Angel enter the motel room? Faith never invited him in). By the way: Faith trying to seduce Xander is again way over the top. Sure, she plays with men like they are her boytoys, but Faith’s actions here are mostly unreliable, and this is what pulls the episode down.
Wesley is another topic: He is too much outside of the scooby gang to have that much screentime. Though it is interesting to see a watcher really living the watcher rules, but in this moment Wesley isn’t really interesting.
Still a good episode, but the writers suddenly pushed Faith to the bad side without giving any plausible explanations why she would work for the bad side. 7/10

Episode 16: Doppelgangland
Almost a genius episode. Joss Whedon did exactly the right thing: He totally didn’t take the episode serious and put lots of gags in it. Not only am I surprised that the story needed 14 minutes to get to its first climax (vampire Willow entering this reality), but the story actually was funny. Alyson Hannigan has again lots of fun playing the dominatrix vampire and even has a nice action scene (this would be her first in the show, if I didn’t forget anything); Anya is back to introduce her to the audience and showing that she will be a recurring character; the scene in which Willow sees that her evil doppelganger seems to be gay (very important if you consider the next season) and especially good Willow amongst vampires in the Bronze – the complete scene was very hilarious. Even the scenes in which the characters were truly shocked about Willow’s “death” were almost hilarious, because totally unbelievable. I don’t know if that was on purpose or really bad acting.
From start to finish a real highlight of the show, another one of those examples that the writers always have irony in their ideas. 9,5/10

Episode 17: Enemies
A good episode with a nice, but obvious twist at the end. I still can’t buy the fact that Faith is working for the Mayor, but I have to live with that, and fortunately the writers didn’t hang on the story of Faith working undercover for the Mayor in the scooby gang – this one is ending right here.
Buffy’s play to trick Faith was really nice and, like I said, the twist was nice, but everybody should have seen it coming. The writers couldn’t turn Angel again, after they did it in the last season; and the situation with Buffy in cuffs and Faith being the player could just end in Buffy winning (and therefor knowing what is going on), because every other exit would be dumb and idiotic. Only one scene was missing: The scooby gang learning that everything was a hoax to let Faith believe she is ahead of the game. The gang comes into the crypt and they just “watch” Buffy fighting against Faith? Hm, there is really a little scene missing.
By the way: The story with the books is really… ehm, lame.
Interesting is the fact that Faith was the first to use the phrase “scooby gang” during the run of the show. 7/10

Episode 18: Earshot
Interesting stand-alone episode and again injoke Jonathan (Danny Strong) with some appearances. And surprisingly he is in the center of the story, even though the plot about somebody killing all the students began directly at the end of the first half of the episode. The idea of giving somebody new superpowers is not new, but I loved it how Buffy was curious about what is happening to her, and then totally happy when it was mind reading. The writers could have played with that story plot more, but they wanted to make her crazy and the school assassination had to be a big plot in here. But, hey, when Danny Strong has more screentime…
The mind reading scenes were full of cliches, everybody thought exactly that what was funny (though Oz was seriously thinking about a serious topic, which was LOL). And the ending surprise was really one, and a funny one, too. First the emotional scene with Buffy and Jonathan in the clock tower, which really showed some similarities between these two characters, and then the kitchen woman poisoning the food in front of Xander’s eyes – very hilarious. More hilarious was the fight Buffy had with her afterward. Seriously, did the producers really do that? Muhaha.
Funny as hell was Buffy learning about Joyce’s and Gile’s tete-a-tete. Damn, I was laughing. 7,5/10

Episode 19: Choices
For the main enemy episode before the season finale a really lame episode. The most interesting part was the standoff between the Mayor/Faith and the scooby gang with Snyder (Armin Shimerman) and two boring cops in the middle of it. But the rest wasn’t really that interesting, because it didn’t really looked like the writers were preparing the season finale. It felt more like a filler story to get the recurring characters (Mayor, Faith) involved again, before they don’t have any screentime. The story with the box really felt like a filler though, but at least it gave Willow some great moments as hostage and character development at the end. She is not only becoming a real powerful witch, but she is staying in Sunnydale to help Buffy out.
I have a problem how the writers deal with Wesley. He is still too much of a laughing-stock in the show, nobody takes him serious, which follows in the viewers don’t taking him serious. Especially for the first season of Angel this will be the biggest problem the writers have to deal with.
The standoff was great; even the Mayor had some character development and it was great to see that he isn’t really an enemy, he still wants to help in some way (how he talked to Angel) – even this talk was the next stone to prepare Angel to leave Sunnydale. 7/10

Episode 20: The Prom
Just a stand-alone episode, but how it prepared for the season finale… The episode is really unimportant for the rest of the series, but I find it pretty much genius. Sure, the hell dogs, or whatever they were, were really boring (fortunately this story didn’t have much screentime), but I loved how the writers let Buffy think about everything she lived through the episode and let her react in the way she was supposed to react in the series: She is only a lone warrior. Like every other slayer she fights alone, and
this episode showed how she would fight when she was alone and didn’t have any friends on her side – a really great way to show this. And I loved the complete prom sequences, in addition Buffy trying to kill the dogs and saving the school once again.
And then the real highlight: the last award. This has to be the prettiest moment in the series. It was really a great feeling to see Buffy awarded for what she did during the last three years; even I had a little tear in my eye, especially with Jonathan giving out the award – very sweet.
That Angel broke up with Buffy was obvious after the happenings of last episode and what’s to come for him (a spin-off). And it was another one of those great character moments; full of cliche, but still good acted and with emotions.
The little side plot with Cordelia and her family being broke seems just like a filler story though to not only give her screentime, after she was kind of cut in the story these last episodes, but to give Xander a final moment with her. By the way: Xander and Anya are really sweet together, no wonder why Emma Caulfield was promoted to the main cast. 8,5/10

Episode 21/22: Graduation Day
The perfect finale for the high school era of the series. Graduation Day for everybody, and everybody has to fight to survive the next day. And with it the high school is completely destroyed. Like Giles said, this is pretty ironic.
The first part of the finale was more of a normal episode. Faith trying to hurt Buffy through killing Angel with a poison, the scooby gang out to find a cure for him. Which results in the big and awaited fight Buffy versus Faith. It was a good and long fight, but I couldn’t prevent to see the stunt women all the time; their faces were clearly visible. And I couldn’t think that Angel’s cure was only the blood of a slayer. I don’t know, but isn’t this pretty dumb from the Mayor to give this poison to Faith? He should have known that Buffy would find out and probably get to Faith to cure Angel. Or this is one of the storylines Joss Whedon didn’t really think through. But the scene in which Angel feeds on Buffy was great. This is the second time Buffy was fed on by a vampire (the first time being the Master in the first season finale). It really looked like Angel wouldn’t stop, and the scene had a strong sexual meaning (just look at Buffy destroying things and touching Angel while lying on the ground and being sucked on).
Other than that the aftermath of Buffy beating Faith in a coma (interesting: A slayer with supernatural powers can heal pretty fast, but from a coma she doesn’t wake up) was interesting: the Mayor grieving in the hospital, having a little standoff with Angel. And suddenly the Mayor has a human weakness? And it is Faith? Well, I can’t think of the Mayor being a father figure for Faith, this just didn’t come too fast (even though they were signs all over the last episodes), but this story is seriously unreliable. This makes the final fight (Buffy running around with the knife she put in Faith) a bit laughable – negatively speaking.
But the fight itself was good. The scooby gang recruits the whole class of 1999 to fight (this scene has a special meaning after Buffy got the “Class Protector” in The Prom) and even Wesley has a reason to fight behind the council’s back. At least one scene he was serious in; during the fight he was the laughing-stock again, which unfortunately wasn’t funny anymore.
Well, the high school is over, with the next season Buffy goes to college – a new life will begin, another one ended here. Angel had the perfect send-off, and now he can have his own show. Only Cordelia didn’t have the proper good bye. At least Harmony died (hm… she got bitten by a vampire; the writers wanted to make her a vampire, it is obvious after this particular scene). And Anya learned that she is in love with Xander.
By the way: The story with Buffy quitting the council is an interesting story, but the writers never really concentrate on this. Sure, the show is still called Buffy, but I wished to see something about a slayer quitting her job, because this seems “important” – a slayer quitting her job is unique and definitely interesting. And this would have been the latest perfect moment to introduce us to the council a bit more. But the producers didn’t, which is a shame.
And another BTW: The episode had some clues about the fifth season – Faith said something about a big sister, before she started to fight with Buffy. And not to forget the dream sequence with Buffy and Faith. Interesting how Joss Whedon planned ahead.
Good season finale. An era ended, and it ended really hard – the scooby gang survived high school. 8,5/10

Season average is 7,43. It probably won’t look that way, but the third season is my second favorite (after the fifth season). If the writers wouldn’t have pulled off so much filler episodes, the season definitely would be better and more interesting.

Tru Calling – Season 2

Click here for the review of Season 1

It’s been two months since Tru Davies (Eliza Dushku) and Jack Harper (Jason Priestley) last met in a deadly confrontation in which Tru saved the life of her brother Harrison (Shawn Reaves), but she was ultimately thwarted when Jack evened the score by taking the life of her boyfriend Luc. After that night, Jack disappeared – but now he’s back with a vengeance. His renewed efforts to make sure the dead stay dead only make Tru more determined to carry on her murdered mother’s legacy of saving those who die before their time. But also back in town is Tru’s estranged father Richard (Cotter Smith) who, although claiming he wants to forge new relationships with his son and daughter, has his own secret agenda which is anything but fatherly in intent.

Episode 01: Perfect Storm
For a season premiere a bit lame, for a normal episode pretty good, which is surprising. The duel Tru versus Jack rises to a new level, and even her father is involved in everything. But before the writers get deeper into this story, they should clear the enemy lines: Why is it that Tru’s father and Jack are against Tru and what she is doing? Who is behind all of this? Hopefully the short rest of the series gives a little bit of an answer. But I find it interesting that Harrison is going to be prepared as Tru’s enemy, at least I believe this is happening. Will Harrison have the same powers Jack has right now? And why doesn’t Harrison have the powers his sister and his father have and why does Jack have them? And who is jack really? I can’t believe I am saying this, but this is actually an exciting story.
The “Help me” of the week was good. Carly Pope is always nice to watch, and I liked the bit of water action. And the fact that the case was not over with Tru’s success to save her (well, it was Davis (Zach Galifianakis)) makes the episode a bit better. I just want to know how Jack knew the facts about the case. He didn’t live it like Tru, so where did he have the information?
Davis’ little psych evaluation plot was alright, too, though just an excuse to give him a proper story. 7/10

Episode 02: Grace
A good episode, for a change Tru is framed for murder and she has more difficulties to fight. But instead of showing us Tru versus Jack all the time, the writers can start to explain the situations all the characters are into now. Apart from that it was really a good episode with an interesting story, but lame case. Fortunately the actual “Help me” didn’t really have much screentime, just simple and typical procedural crime investigation, here and there with some good moments. But the writers’ mistakes are back. They have to choose: detective or officer? A same person can’t be both…
It was obvious that Tru was going to rewind that day from the moment the doctor was killed again. But it was way too laughable how Tru was suspected really fast and how nobody is looking for her – not even the police.
Giving Davis a little love story is nice and giving a real reason for Harrison to be in the procedural stories, too. And I am curious why the writers try to write in new friends for Tru, after they cut out all the old friends of her in the first season. 7,5/10

Episode 03: In the Dark
Boring episode, boring “Help me” of the week, because it was predictable that neither Tru’s friends nor Carrie (Liz Vassey) was supposed to die. And the rest was boring as well. Tru’s birthday – uninteresting, because it brought nothing except I know now how old she is. At least some of the stories brought a little background into the characters. Obviously the writers really want to write Tru new friends, and they already have more screentime than the second-row cast from the first season at this point. But I seriously didn’t like the engagement story.
Davis and Carrie were sweet together, and I don’t know what to make of the cliffhanger. So she is part of Jack’s grand plan. Now I really want to know what the big plan is and what Tru is in.
By the way: Nice of Tru to ask again, how Jack could know all this stuff she is knowing. It looks like the writers planned to pack this into a story, and I already thought this would be one of the plot holes.
And another think: Am I forgetting things or is that the first episode Tru lost a case? 5,5/10

Episode 04: Last Good Day
Interesting episode with surprising character development. So, fate plays games with Tru and Jack and gives Jack the “Help me”, and I had goosebumps during that scene.
The story was interesting and the conclusion of why Jack was asked was interesting as well. But it lets me ask myself why this happened for the first time. The reason of Megan (Maggie Lawson) to die seems
reasonable and I can’t think of that never happening before. That gave Jack some interesting moments and conflicts with his job. I just wish this will hold on for the next and last two episodes. And more surprising: Tru lost again a life – the second time in a row. But the fact that the ending seemed like a real cliffhanger lets me think that this story ain’t over yet. Sure, the girl is dead, but it will have consequences for Jack and Tru.
The side plots were uninteresting though. For what is Carrie out and why is she pretending to like Davis? And Harrison’s storyline was really boring. It looks like father’s way to get him on his side, but the writers could try to do this with better stories.
Best episode of the season so far and one of the best episodes of the series. 8/10

Episode 05: Enough
Hm, Jensen (Eric Christian Olsen) dying, too. How boring is that storyline? Not even did it have any surprises, but the story was completely for the buttholes. But the writers had to bring Tru into a situation, saving a guy that did not ask for her help; it is just a lame excuse to use Jensen for that and repeat the storyline from last season’s finale.
I found the story with Harrison and Travis (William Sadler) way more interesting than Tru’s efforts to save Jensen. Not only was Travis an interesting character, but his story, visiting the wedding of his daughter, had sensibility and was sweet.
Yeah, the episode was not really important for the series’ mythology, just a filler. For that Jensen’s case of deja vu at the end of the episode seemed too unimportant. 6/10

Episode 06: T’was The Night Before Christmas… Again
A good episode, but some people are pretty pissed after seeing this episode as the last one of the series. Sure, the main story arc didn’t move forward one inch (for that, Harrison following his father ended too fast and the Davis/Carrie relationship doesn’t have any meaning at all), but at least there was something of a story arc in this episode.
The “Help me” of the episode was good, even though I didn’t even notice that a six month old cadaver asked for help, until Tru told it Davis. For that, the case was uninteresting and unspectacular, but at least the conclusion was alright. But I liked the fact that Tru and Jack worked together again. Not a trace of character development in Jack’s case (especially after the happenings in Last Good Day) and not one single scene in which Tru really hates Jack for what he did. Both of them still have a really good relationship, considering their past, and this is pretty much bad writing. But the Christmas themed surroundings and the ending made the episode good, only a bummer that this was the end. The writers did learn from their mistakes in season one (though slowly) and the story actually got more interesting. I didn’t hate the series in its second season… 7/10

Season average is 6,83 and one point better than the first season. What would have happened, when FOX didn’t cancel the show? Suddenly there was an interesting plot, suddenly I started to like everything, suddenly the writers learned from their big mistakes they did during season one. It is a shame that FOX didn’t make it happen and instead gave us another abrupt canceled series and let the viewers left hanging there.

Hung – Season 1

Years ago, as a student at Detroit’s West Lakefield High School, Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane) was athletic, popular and destined for success. Today, as a West Lakefield teacher and coach of the varsity basketball team, which is on an unprecedented losing streak, he’s underpaid, uninsured and embittered that his wife of 20 years Jessica (Anne Heche) left him for her dermatologist, Ronnie Haxon (Eddie Jemison). After fire damages the rundown lakeside home he inherited from his parents, Ray’s fortunes reach an all-time low when his twin children Darby (Sianoa Smit-McPhee) and Damon (Charlie Saxton), who have been living with him, move in with their mom and her smug husband. Lonely, run down and at wit’s end, Ray attends a self-help class, where the mantra is to identify a personal “winning tool” to market for financial success. After a not-so-fulfilling encounter with fellow attendee Tanya Skagle (Jane Adams), a would-be poet, Ray has a “eureka” moment. With the help of Tanya, the well-endowed Ray sets out to exploit his greatest asset in hopes of changing his fortunes. Even if it means using the one thing life hasn’t taken from Ray – his large penis. Becoming a male escort however is easier said than done. First and foremost, finding potential clients is no small task. He can’t post a picture of anything above his waist and being charming isn’t exactly his forte.

Episode 01: Pilot
Boring. I was about to fall into sleep during the 43 minutes. A story is missing, characters are missing (Ray is too much of a problem character and Tanya was just boring) and I didn’t like it really much. Sure, Thomas Jane seems to be a good actor and Anne Heche didn’t even have much screentime to wow me, but this was kind of nothing.
First: What is the genre? Comedy or drama? It is not even dramedy, but it is a mixture between comedy and drama. An I think the writers should choose very soon, before the show really gets boring. One whole episode got wasted for the introduction of Ray trying to sell himself as a manwhore – wasn’t it possible to tell the story a bit faster? And a bit more interesting?
An example: The scene where Ray told Floyd (Steve Hytner) and the class about his big dick being his tool – the scene lost all his meaning, when it was revealed he didn’t even say it – three minutes a waste of time. And the flashbacks were partly a waste of time, too, because I didn’t see any meanings in the scene, where Ray asked his ex-wife for money (except introducing his ex-wife and giving Anne Heche screentime).
Hopefully it gets better. Quality is there, the possibilities for being a good series are there, but I don’t see the meaning in this show… 4/10

Episode 02: ‘Great Sausage’ or ‘Can I Call You Dick?’
This episode was better than the first one. Barely boring, good story, but I still can’t start to like the characters – they are not interesting enough, like the series itself. The story isn’t really interesting and the characters are still boring. Especially Ray; I don’t know what to make of him. Either Thomas Jane is miscast or his character is badly written. At least the pimp story got a bit forward, even though the story really can be a bit faster, because the rest just feels like a filler (especially Ray’s problems as a teacher and basketball trainer). As well as the story with Ray’s kids and ex-wife. Nice that there is an ongoing story with them and their wish to live with their father, but I totally don’t care about that. And this is kind of the reason, why I still don’t get that show. 6/10

Episode 03: ‘Strange Friends’ or ‘The Truth Is, You’re Sexy’
Well, it was a good episode, even though nothing happened. Ray pisses in his lake and gets a visit by the police; Tanya tries to get Ray’s wallet back, after it was stolen by Lenore (Rebecca Creskoff) after the “I fucked the bitch for free” (the scene in front of Tanya’s house was very good and shows a great chemistry between the two stars) – but the rest was pretty uninteresting. Jessica just stole time of the story – what does a half dead dog have any interest for any of the characters?
I need definitely more story in this series. 7/10

Episode 04: The Pickle Jar
A good episode, slowly I start to like the series and the characters. The story wasn’t really interesting, because almost nothing happened. Ray is still about to question his new job and finally gets himself some answers at the end, which was very nice (character development wise), but full of cliches.
Nice to see Ray’s kids in a story. Darby with boyfriend troubles and Damon is standing in for her – very interesting scene. I just need more from Anne Heche or her role is seriously underworked – She needs her own story, or she gets boring very fast, which I definitely won’t like.
But it gets better… 7,5/10

Episode 05: Do It, Monkey
Well, the series could have made it with this episode, because I liked it. Ray’s first regular-then-non-regular was pretty interesting and I needed six minutes to understand all of this. I just couldn’t really understand the female dream thing and why would a woman pay three times for the same story with a happiness consultant…
The side plot with Jessica and the kids was barely interesting though. Okay, Ron has money problems, her sick dog is dying (I already forgot that story, and it is coming back like my past… Argh, at least the dog is dead now) and the kids don’t have a stand-alone story. Maybe the series would work better in a 60-minute format. 7,5/10

Episode 06: ‘Doris Is Dead’ or ‘Are We Rich or Are We Poor?’
Best episode so far. And it looks like the series got to a point I wanted it to be: not too funny, a serious story, simple characters and everybody is involved in the story and finally Anne Heche with more screentime and even an own story (when the writers concentrate on the money deal with Ron’s money problems.
Ray’s story with Jemma (Natalie Zea) is awesome. Not only is she an interesting character, but the deal with her is something between super hilarious and funny and the possibility of an ongoing love story for Ray, especially after Jemma learned (almost) everything about him and was the good luck charm for his basketball team. And it is good to see Tanya bonding with Jessica now, at least in this way the story involves. Maybe there is not much time,
until Jessica meets “Randall”, now she knows Leonore and Tanya. 8,5/10

Episode 07: ‘The Rita Flower’ or ‘The Indelible Stench’
More drama would be good. The ending of the episode showed that the serious part of the show is working way better than the comical part. Apart from that it was a good episode with likable storylines. I sure don’t know what to make of Pierce (Joshua Leonard) as the new relationship for Tanya – is it a one-episode thing? Is it an ongoing story? I sure hope it is the first one, because Pierce is a shitty character and not really likable at this point. And I don’t know why the writers bring Floyd back all the time. I am forgetting him all the time, I thought we moved on, but they want to give Tanya more problems with this guy… Please, can he be gone for good now?
Funny was Ray’s day with his neighbor MILF Yael (Alanna Ubach). Not only was she out to fuck him from the start, but she was really funny, together with her screaming – yeah, I was smiling during this scene.
By the way: His story with Jemma has to end sometimes, because when he is out for a love story with one of his clients, than the main story of the series stands still and we don’t want that, right? 7/10

Episode 08: ‘Thith Ith a Prothetic’ or ‘You Cum Just Right’
An average episode with interesting development in Ray’s case, but again with the question of what has Anne Heche to do in this series? She has barely screentime, and when she got a story, it is more than uninteresting. The same with Ray’s kids, they definitely need a storyline of their own to keep them interesting. At least Ray is now an interesting character (which I couldn’t say at the beginning) and his chemistry with Tanya is now really awesome, especially at the end of the episode.
The writers brought Lenore back, very good. I have the feeling she will be necessary in the last episodes. And the writers ended the story with Jemma, and they even have a proper conclusion why she played with Ray that way, very interesting, too. Now the story can try to develop again, and hopefully it will, because it kind of still stands still.
I don’t know what to make of the little rivalry plot with Ray and his old mate – it brought nothing, except a little bit of past. And I don’t think there is more coming to that. Well… 6,5/10

Episode 09: ‘This Is America’ or ‘Fifty Bucks’
Yeah, a good episode, even though it didn’t feel like the episode before the season finale, but that’s the case for all the HBO shows, they never have real highlights. The story still feels like stuck in between all the characters and not moving forward an inch. So, this episode Ray and Lenore discussed about raising the price for Ray, while Tanya is out to lower the price – nice that both of them are talking so much during that time, I thought Tanya was Ray’s best friend right now.
And finally Ray’s kids and Jessica getting a bit of an own story now. Damon is gay (well, when that’s not a stereotype story, what is?) and Jessica befriends with Lenore, for what reason so ever. That episode had the most screentime for Jessica ever, it felt like she had more screentime than all the other episodes combined.
It is nice to see that the writers don’t lose any story; Patty (Lauren Weedman) is still a topic in this episode (but I missed the rivalry story from last episode, I knew there wasn’t more coming to that). And the sex scene between Ray and Lenore was really hot, whuhu. 7,5/10

Episode 10: ‘A Dick and a Dream’ or ‘Fight the Honey’
Pretty boring season finale, but this is the case of all HBO shows (lol). But I liked it for what it was: a chance of a new story in the second season. Ray loses his job and partners up with Lenore (she probably will be one of the main characters next season), Ray’s kids have relationship trouble, Jessica wants to break up with Ron, or Ron makes it easier for her and fucks with his patients, and Tanya has a midlife crisis. Could be interesting in the second season, could not be, I will surprise myself.
I don’t know what to make of the phone conversation of Ray and Jessica. Not only was it a predictable story that Jessica (probably) will meet Ray while doing his “job”, but I think the first season finale was too early for that. Sure, they didn’t meet, but I still think the writers didn’t have to bring that story now.
And I surely don’t know what to make of the very last scene. Great, Tanya kills a fly… I don’t think she wins self-confidence with that, because her midlife crisis story seems more interesting than her winning control over her business again. 7/10

Season average is 6,85. The series definitely has something, but the season start was lame, which pulls the overview down a lot. At least I started to like the characters, and when the writers manage to pull off some interesting stories in the second season, then Hung could be one of my favorite series. But for now it is just something for the side and no must-see TV.

Defying Gravity – Season 1

In the near future, eight astronauts from five countries – four women and four men – undertake a six-year international space mission covering thirteen billion kilometers through the solar system. With the eyes of the world upon them – everything they do is monitored, and every emotion they feel, scrutinized – they soon discover that their real assignment is not at all what they thought.

Episode 01: Pilot
I already gave some words about it here. 7,5/10

Episode 02: Law of Natural Selection
The episode was good. And I am impressed how the series handles much less storylines than other television serials. And I am impressed as well, how the story includes some sort of “higher power”, which chose Donner (Ron Livingston) and Ted (Malik Yoba) to be in the mission and Ajay (Zahf Paroo) and Rollie (Ty Olsson) to be on the ground. God? Fate? When the writers already started with this in the second episode, it has a meaning. And reminds me a bit of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica. If that is good or bad after all, I don’t know yet.
There seems to be a mystery storyline, of only a few characters knowing about. The simple question: What is the real reason for the mission and why will the crew learn it, when they are near Venus (said in episode 1)? Ted obviously knows about this and keeps secrets from his crew (and even a station on the Antares). Maybe it has something to do with aliens, I don’t know. But the fact that this is a mystery part of the show, it has to be something big, considering the science fiction themes.
The failed Mars mission seems to play a big role in the story. Not only gave it Donner some weird dreams about him and Zoe (Laura Harris), it got Ted as well – are the happenings from ten years a go connected with the happenings now?
Zoe’s drama was okay. First I didn’t understand, why the episode needs a second rescue mission in this series, but then I thought about the thin stories. The writers don’t have much to tell. Hopefully there aren’t any problems in every episode. And Zoe’s spit stopped the leak? Well, this was a little WTF moment, negatively speaking.
The flashbacks were interesting though. Steven (Dylan Taylor) really can’t swim, so why is he on the mission? 7/10

Episode 03: Threshold
Kind of an episode between boring and interesting as well as love stories and other shit and the mystery arc. And I am confused, because the series tries too much to copy Lost and sets the mystery in outer space. Last episode the talks about “it” and “beta”, and now? People, who are mysteriously connected with something I didn’t understand, other people who know about that and something happening on the ship, especially with puking Paula (Paula Garcés). First I thought she would be pregnant, but then somebody (the doctors e.g.) would have noticed, so I think she is changing with everything that’s happening on the Antares. But it didn’t change Nadia (Florentine Lahme) for now; Donner seems to be okay as well; Jen (Christina Cox) seems to be okay as well as Steven; and the ex drunk Mintz (Eyal Podell) has so much screentime you never notice him anyway, nothing wrong with him. So what the hell is going on up there?
At this time the show tries to be a mystery show and copying Lost with bringing “Smokie” into space. Ted seeing the Mars surface? His wife Eve (Karen LeBlanc) seeing the exact same thing or something different down on Earth in a secret room full of “special agent” kind of guys? Do we have to deal with aliens here?
Seriously, I get frustrated when there is more coming of this crap without any kind of solution. The love story stories are okay and don’t suck, because I like the characters, but the mystery crap… confuses me. The writers should bring some answers very soon or it gets very complicated. 6/10

Episode 04: H2IK
The episode was alright, but nothing special. Partly it was boring and sometimes it was a bit awkward and unintentionally funny. The story about the blackout on the Antares was boring and didn’t bring anything, except the crew’s love for Ajay and his reinstatement and Goss (Andrew Airlie) being a dick as a character. The rest of the stories in flashbacks and present time weren’t really interesting, except the failed Mars
mission story, which got a sequel here – one of the very few stories I like in this series. Just the scene in which Donner stood all time long on the ship, watching to his “ghosts” (we saw the two astronauts, but Sharon’s (Lara Gilchrist) face all the time… What’s with the other guy?) and chasing after them, was a bit stupid. Why didn’t he think? Or was it Beta’s plan (still a story, which needs some answers right now) not to let him think? Can Beta manipulate
people? At least two more crew member have to deal with their past on the Antares. There are still three missing.
And what was up with Paula this episode? Last episode she was puking all the time and the writers didn’t give an answer, why she puked? Not even in this episode? Or did I already forgot it? At least there is a story going on between her and Steven – an upcoming relationship?
Oh year, the gravitation failure: Not that I have anything against it, but why didn’t the both of them returned to gravitation, but stayed there the whole time? And the conclusion for the failure was stupid, too. 6/10

Episode 05: Rubicon
An average episode with far more flashback story than I anticipated. I wished to see more present storylines, but probably it was necessary to prepare all the character constellations for all the upcoming flashback scenes. The negative effect is that all the outcomes are already obvious. We already know that Ted and Jen won’t be together; we know that Zoe will have the abortion (unlikely that she will have the child and give it free for adoption); we know that Donner has some relationship trouble and the rest basically doesn’t get any screentime. Steven and Evram don’t have any screentime in the flashbacks, which is a shame (well, they don’t really have any much screentime at all…).
The episode itself felt like a filler. Nothing much happened. Donner has hallucinations, Ted wants to tell him about Beta (still a storyline which needs some answers now), nobody doesn’t know what to put in the time capsule. And the biggest problem: What was the time capsule story for, when Ted put everything out again? Only to see Donner getting over Sharon and throw out the baseball by himself? It is obvious that his past haunting story ain’t over yet, especially after the mystery story doesn’t really come into speed now after five episodes.
At least the mystery about the Mars mission is growing bigger. I can do it without this story, but I like it too much to miss it now. By the way: I missed Ajay this episode. Is he gone now for real? Surely, his character isn’t needed anymore, but after the last episode I thought the writers would bring him back. 6/10

Episode 06: Bacon
A good episode, finally Evram has some screentime (probably more in this episode than in the five before) and catches a good story. Even though the story with Paula on the table and Evram trying to save her life, having visions and having other trouble wasn’t really interesting (though I now know why ABC pitched the series as “Grey’s Anatomy in space” – because this episode WAS Grey’s Anatomy in space), it was nice to have Evram in the center of the story. But it is kind of awkward that half of the team is still “missing” their hallucinations. Jen, Paula, Steven and Nadia don’t have any fights against their past or why didn’t we see their hallucinations by now? Steven is a mystery part, because there is still the question why he is on the mission (at least the question was asked again in this episode, I already thought the writers had forgotten it); Jen has her relationship troubles; but Paula and Nadia don’t have any character development right now. They are just “along for the ride” and now completely useless.
I liked the flashback sequences. Not only did it have lots of medical stuff, but I liked the connections of the flashbacks with Evram’s efforts saving Paula, it reminded me of Lost’s “Everybody Hates Hugo”, where both stories collide and make it to one big story. And nice to see Ajay back in the series. Maybe he gets more important later this season, because I like his character and I think his story ain’t over yet. 7/10

Episode 07: Fear
Interesting episode. But not a really good one, because I saw some plot holes, especially when the writers are dealing with Beta. While the people on the ground were thinking about Beta revealing itself to the world, it never thought about the crew aborting this whole advertising thing? Well, the commercial story was kind of unimportant, illogical and didn’t bring anything to the mission. Sure, it finances the trip to the planets, but I couldn’t understand, why science was on the line, billions of dollars and why this commercial had to be live. It would be more realistic, when the story would be better written, but in this way it was just awkwardly stupid.
But I actually liked the hallucination thing. Finally Nadia and Paula got their first hallucinations, and I am surprised (again), how easily they believe, everything would be real. Paula runs after her dog and Nadia was at least reasonable at the beginning, but is on the run for the mysterious guy as well (it would be interesting to know who that guy was/is/should be). But all the astronauts in the Antares, facing all their fears through the hallucinations… I
don’t know, I didn’t like that. Ted sees the Mars surface again and completely freezes, not moving an inch, not speaking one word. Donner has his hallucinations as well, but why isn’t he freezing and not talking? And why are Steven and Jen the only crew members not to have any hallucinations for now?
But I was actually surprised that the dream story with Zoe and Donner got picked up again. I already
forgot about it and it seems the story is coming again.
Well, some plot holes, and the mystery story comes and goes (the writers should rather cut it, before a shitty conclusion comes – which definitely will come sooner or later). 6,5/10

Episode 08: Love, Honor, Obey
Waah, fuck it. It had to come, it was the last scene and the audience is not knowing anything. How brutal is that? For now, it is even worse than Lost. In Lost, you get some answers now and then, but here you don’t get any answer – not even one word. The last scene is the best example for that: The crew finally knows about what’s in Pod 4 (bright light, kind of reminds me of the bright light out of the suitcase in Pulp Fiction), but the audience can’t look into the Port, because the episode is over. Rolleyes. Fuck it. Damn this show for a few minutes.
Okay, when you think about it, the cliffhanger was great. Finally we are going to know what the crew is dealing with and what the mission is really about. Sure, the writers always can play with the audience and fuck us with something complete different in the next episode, just to delay the secret about Beta and what’s in Pod 4.
The story about the solar activity was interesting and the “evacuation” scene was full of thrill, but the conclusion to that story was kind of shitty. Everything was just a drill? Pretty lame, especially with the thing that happened in the lab – first I thought it really was something unexplainable and mysterious, but then it had to be revealed it was a test and that unexplainable thing was really unexplainable.
A bit more character drama would have been nice, and I have the feeling Donner’s off-comments are getting more rarer.
Probably the best episode so far, even though I was flipping out after the cliffhanger. 8/10

Episode 09: Eve Ate The Apple
Hm, I don’t know what to make of this episode. Sure, finally we had some answers and almost everything is fitting into the big thing, but I believe we had too much answers in this episode, when the writers could have easily put some answers and clues into the earlier episodes.
Like I expected, the crew is dealing with an alien lifeform. Would be interesting to know, why there are seven versions of it on the seven different landing sites. At least all the hallucinations are fitting into the pattern now, even though I had some difficulties to put Eve’s hallucinations into the pattern.
And it is really nice that the failed Mars mission has a reason now to be mentioned over and over again. And it is already a shame that the show won’t survive for another season, because it really gets more interesting now. Especially with all the secrets about the Mars mission.
Eve’s flashbacks were alright, maybe it was a bit too much, I didn’t need the whole story.
The cliffhanger was kind of creepy and keeps me guessing. Jen isn’t seeing Beta at all. She and Steven didn’t have any hallucinations, but Steven can see Beta. Why isn’t Jen? This explains why she is questioning herself (about the chosen part and why she cut the fractals) and I am eager to know what this story is about.
Not the best episode so far, because the flashbacks had their lengths, but a good episode with a really interesting cliffhanger. 7,5/10

Episode 10: Deja Vu
Well, at least the Canadian Space is airing the last episodes of the series. And I almost believed I had to wait another year for the last episodes. ABC will air it probably during the Olympics or in the summer (if they are going to air it after all), I don’t know about CTV, and when ProSieben is airing the show… I don’t know.
The episode itself: very good. It shows that the writers can deal with the sci fi element perfectly, and it shows that I don’t even miss the flashbacks when they are not in the episode. Okay, we had flashbacks from the Mars mission, but actually, the Mars mission story is super interesting (what you can’t say for the 5 years earlier flashbacks) and has much potential; I was already asking myself when the writers deal with this topic. And even though I wished to see far more, I was excited. Even the characters were more introduced in this one. We had some more screentime for Sharon and even for Arnel (William C. Vaughan). I am wondering why he isn’t in the main cast (and why we have Claire (Maxim Roy) instead), because his character is now way more interesting than in the episodes before. And now we know what he sacrificed for the mission, even though we don’t know the reasons.
The story on the Antares was partly interesting. Jen dealing with the fact that she can’t see Beta and being pissed on the whole universe (a bit over the top in some scenes); Donner wanting to go to Venus with Zoe, because he sees the Mars mission all over again (predictable); Nadia wanting to know what Beta really is and can do (could be more interesting when the writers would spend more time in that); Steven doing… something (huh, what?); and Paula failing while getting herself cleared for the Venus lander (really interesting, especially the “one down” deal at the end). Only the “episode cliffhanger” was dumb. Rollie in an accident and we have probably a little side plot on the run. After we had only the Antares crew and mission (and past and present of all involved) in the story, the writers give us something completely different. I don’t know if I will like this. 8,5/10

Episode 11: Solitary
A good episode, even though nothing happened and it was totally a filler episode to stretch the story until the Venus landing.
Rollie’s story was complete crap and I surely hope this was it; I don’t want to see anymore about this in the remaining episodes. It can have some small aftermath (Rollie’s doubts about the mission, about his marriage with Jen or about his actions at all), but I am not in the mood to see more about that. When I am honest, it was actually nice to see some characters from the floor in an episode main story – we almost know lots of facts about the characters on the ground (from the Antares crew we already know more than we used to), but they should get better storylines. Like Claire, who slept with Trevor (Peter Howitt) (and lets me think that she, instead of Arnel, will be the one who first leaks the story) in her flashbacks.
The story on the Antares was way too boring though. I don’t need Donner preparing for the landing for the whole episode, and I don’t need Zoe thinking about what she is saying on the Venus surface. The talk Paula had with Evram was interesting (despite his dumb questions he asked her) and Nadia’s hallucination (goosebumps effect). I want to know why she is hallucinating again, especially after she was one of the characters who barely had some (and she is one of the characters the writers never took care of). Maybe she will get necessary at a later point. But there are two episodes left and I don’t believe in a second season, so let’s forget it again.
By the way, a production mistake: One of the video logs showed the date 05 12 2052 – last episode was November 5th, I don’t think the story hopped one month into the future for the video logs, especially with the Venus landing coming up. Haha, I got you!
Despite the mostly boring Antares story still a good episode. The characters are fully grown and the series could get into more speed at this time of season (especially with the sci fi element being revealed), only a bummer that the audience didn’t play along. 7/10

Episode 12: Venus
Damn, with the last episodes the series is getting better and better. The episode of the episodes is the best episode of Defying Gravity so far. The landing on Venus was awesomely full of thrill, I liked Donner’s and Zoe’s little flashback story (I was quite surprised that Zoe didn’t make the Top 20 the first place; now it would be interesting what happened so she could get in again, but I think this story will be part of
the finale), the pathos was great and the cliffhanger was predictable, but great as well. Only Zoe’s first Venus line was pretty boring. Or just too simple to be great.
Seriously, this episode would be one of the best I watched, when there would not be the partly lame first act (Rollie and his efforts to get the name of the girl he hit, all the faith crap Eve was talking about and all the signs that Arnel will leak the story), but
the rest was pretty much awesome. Paula’s face to Zoe was kind of unintentionally funny, as if she wanted to tell a bad joke or get the evil/hell crap from her (well, she did it anyway at a later time), and now I believe she will be the first to leak the story. It would be an interesting second season…
The writers should have cut the first act and brought more into the Venus landing, because with the moment Crossbow flies out from the Antares and lands on Venus the series had its best moments. And maybe a little bit more Zoe, who takes her first step on a planet full of hell. Well, at least we will hopefully see a lot of it in the finale.
Funny was the fact that special effects crew faked parts of the Venus landing; not only was this plot device dumb, but I think this will happen, when somebody lands on Mars in 20, 30 years. Shoot some sequences which fake your landing, when you are about to die. Or collecting an alien lifeform.
Now I am hooked to see the finale. 9/10

Episode 13: Kiss
Very good season finale. It shows once more that the mixture of sci fi elements and relationship stories is working perfectly now. It is just sad that the series will be canceled after the first season; now I am definitely interested how the story will evolve. How is Trevor investigating the Venus thing after Arnel told him about the black box? How is the genetic mutation changing the Antares crew? And especially: What has Eve to do with the mutations? How will Paula react to the objects after she learned everything about her miracle? How are Beta and Gamma behaving, now since they are on the same ship? Is Rollie going into prison? is their now a real relationship between Zoe and Donner, after he learned about the baby? Why is Nadia’s hallucination the only one which is not explained? These are very interesting questions and this is just the beginning. The second season would have so much opportunities for interesting stories without losing all elements which made the first season (especially the second half) so interesting. It is sad that the viewers weren’t hooked up on Defying Gravity.
The Venus walk was full of suspense. How an almost 500 meter walk could be that interesting is awesome. And connected with the flashback stories about Zoe and Donner saying goodbye to each other (she needs two episodes for that, lol), the Venus walk has even more meaning. And has risen some more question about the past of the objects’ history with Earth. Canaveral under water? Two probes sent to Venus? And why was nobody else noticing the signals from the objects, why only the US observatories?
By the way: The flashback story very reminded me of Lost’s “Stranger in a Strange Land” from the third season: A story is told how one of the characters got the tattoo. But I thought it was interesting here, so I don’t have a problem with that. Zoe and Donner were cute together and definitely would have made a good couple; this is why I love the ending scene so much.
Well, at least Defying Gravity is one of those canceled TV shows without a proper ending, but at least it is not a big cliffhanger. The Venus story would be over now, the rest could come. It is such a bummer that we won’t see a second season of this show. 9/10

Season average is 7,31. Yeah, I will miss this one. All the bad critics on the internet are false. What do you expect from a show about astronauts being on a six-year mission? A suspenseful story in every episode?
Sure, the first half of the season was a bit lame due to the sci fi story and the writers waiting for that to be fully revealed, but after that the show strongly got better and more interesting. The rest of the series would have been interesting in the story, because after 13 episodes the story completely developed and stood on the edge of a great science fiction story.

V: They Are Of Peace? Never!

It is not easy for a remake to entertain me in a superb way, when I watched the original right before the start of the remake. So happened with V.
I know the story about the alien visitors coming to Earth to enslave the humans for quite a while now. As a kid I read the books to the mini series and liked them, but I never came to watch the two mini series or even the series. No channel aired it in my past and internet for the people didn’t exist at that time. Things I can make good now. The remake starts on ABC, the original is somewhere on the internet and on my way to my hard drive and I can finally review a pilot episode again (White Collar and Archer still have to be written).
First: I don’t know if I would like this pilot more, when I wouldn’t know the original miniseries. I watched the two parts from 1983, and now I am a bit disappointed of the remake. But I still liked it, it was one of the better pilots this fall.
But the pilot had one big problem: It was way too short. The story and the characters were too big for just a 46 minute long episode, V would have been a great candidate for a 90 minute pilot, but the networks don’t seem to produce full pilot movies for  a while now, instead the writers tried to squeeze all the characters (and there are many of important names) and the necessary parts of the story (which starts with the arrival of the Visitors and ends with the resistance’s first fight against the reptiles) in a 46 minute episode, which makes it a really fast one – at least there wasn’t a single boring moment.

Let’s start with the cast and characters: It’s good. Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans still has to play an important role in the story, because her character was just one of many in the pilot – not a resistance leader, not a real believer, just a plain FBI agent with a son, without a man on her side and typical single mother problems. I hope this will change during the next episodes; with her FBI status she has at least an important role for future storylines. Erica’s son Tyler, played by Logan Huffman, is a stereotype for now and obviously will take the role of Daniel Bernstein from the original series. With Tyler now being an ambassador, we have an interesting storyline coming up: Will he be trustful to the Visitors to rat out his mom, when he finds out about her actions? A storyline which partly was dealt with in the original miniseries, but what was not really interesting there could be very interesting here.
Ryan Nichols (Morris Chestnut) was a boring character most of the time in the pilot, but with the revelation of him being one of the Visitors, who landed on Earth years ago, he got interesting in an instant. His fiance and girlfriend Valerie Holt (Lourdes Benedicto) is boring though and could easily be killed off very soon.
Georgie Sutton (David Richmond-Peck) seems to be an important character, but I was thinking all the time he is not in the main cast and just one of the recurring characters. His past with Ryan is interesting and has potential for a flashback story the writers seem to love these last years (thanks to Lost for that).
Father Jack Landry (Joel Gretsch) is probably the least interesting character so far. I don’t need a religious guy to deal with the “the aliens came from god” topic, even though it is another point of view in the story. And Joel Gretsch is one of the actors I rather want to see in a TV series. His acting killed the first parts of Taken for me and The 4400 was mostly boring with him in the cast…
Reporter Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) will hopefully play a bigger role than the reporter chick from the original miniseries, whose name I don’t know anymore. His interview scene with Anna was awesome and when the writers are good enough to give Chad interesting storylines throughout the first season, then he will become an interesting character (and another leader personality in the resistance).
The Visitor characters are mostly very interesting. Not only is Anna (Morena Baccarin, I read Famke Janssen turned down the role of Anna) a really interesting main enemy slash attractive Visitor slash questionable character, but Morena Baccarin is the perfect cast for this role. She has something in her, which can carry the series for itself, and hopefully the writers don’t mess that up. By the way: I don’t believe she is the leader of the Visitors; just a lie to hide the real leader, for what reason soever.
Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) might be just a character for a love story with Tyler. We already had one in the mini series (with a male Visitor and a female love interest) and it was not really that interesting. But let’s see what’s to come.

The effects: I know, talking negatively about good-looking effects in a TV show with tight budget comes to nothing, but the effects were partly not only not good, but why does this show need this effects? The motherships look good and the apples in the gravity fields were acceptable, but the wide angle of the insides of the motherships and one of the opening space doors didn’t really look awesome to me. As well as the last installment of Anna looking out of her ship and the camera moving away from her – I hope this is just the typical pilot visual appeal and the future story doesn’t need much effects.

The story: partly a copy from the miniseries, partly something new. Mostly interesting, here and there questionable and a big plot hole (at least for me). I don’t have a problem, when the writers try to copy some storylines from the old series, when the new story pursues another way, but the writers need to pick up on the interesting facts and characters. Father Jack is such a problem, as well as the mother/son relationship, which is expectedly not entertaining me.
The three-week jump forward into the story, 15 minutes in the episode, was necessary, but still had a negative connotation. The writers manage to reveal the unfriendly Visitors through invisible third row characters and actions to the first row characters (Erica, Father Jack), so they don’t have to find out about the real intentions of the Visitors (which was timely consuming and mostly boring in the original miniseries). But there are still three weeks missing – but at least it is another opportunity to clear off some facts in flashback storylines (I just hope the writers don’t use that too often).
The separate FBI story, which concluded with the real intentions of the Visitors, was partly interesting. It made Alan Tudyk an interesting guest star, and even though he was killed off in the pilot, his IMDB file is showing me more appearances on V.
The big plot hole is the ending itself: The resistance fought off some Visitor attackers, and now Erica and Father Jack talking about recruiting and fighting? Why don’t they go with the things they know to the press? They have proof, they even have a few dead reptiles…
The other plot holes are funny, but not that important (Water only exists on planet Earth? Nobody saw the ships in Earth’s orbit, before they entered the sphere?).

Mostly I liked the pilot, but with the original in mind, it disappoints a bit. The networks should think again about making full 90 minute pilots, because this one was way too short for the amount of story and characters. The effects… well, let’s not lose a word about this, the cast is alright, the story can develop really interesting. I just hope the “event programming” ABC did don’t scare the viewers. Airing four episodes in November, then sending V on hiatus and returning it in March could be a big fail (not that the same thing happens like during the third season of Lost).
7,5 out of 10 points.

V – The Original Miniseries

The main cities of Earth are surprisingly visited by 51 huge alien spacecraft, and their leader introduces themselves as a friendly people looking for cooperation with Earthlings. The aliens, calling themselves Visitors, masquerades themselves to look just like humans and need the cooperation of the Earthlings, because their planet is dying. When a journalist and a medical student discover that the Visitors have come to rape the Earth of its natural resources and using the humans as slaves, the war for Earth begins. With the help of a motley group of people from different walks of life united in the cause, they try to reveal the secrets of the Visitors and aid the global effort to save Earth for future generations.

Part 1
ABC’s remake is coming very soon and I thought about watching some minutes of the original series, and why not start with the two mini series, before watching the first (and last) season of the 80s show?
And after the first 100 minutes I have to say I pretty much liked it, even though V is already too old for my taste (it was produced before I was born). Most of the scenes are pretty quiet and have too much dialogue (all the scenes revolving the arrival of the ships with all the news anchors – after two minutes it got boring, but it felt like I was listening to the news for hours; not really good for holding my interest at that time) and the actual story needs too much time to get rolling. You could think that the aliens really are friendly visitors and really need help, until a writer suddenly changed the story to a darker tone, because the screenplay needed some action – and a real story. Everything before the revealing of the real purpose of the aliens, the episode was okay and mostly boring, because nothing happened. Here and there scientists who are treated bad (nice parallels with the second World War and the Nazis hunting down the Jews) and rumors about the aliens real intentions. But when it was revealed that the aliens ain’t friendly, the episode got interesting and finally had some topics to deal with.
The cast is alright; I only know a few faces and names. No one really stands out, not even Marc Singer (who looks like a twin sibling of Mark Harmon). The characters are mostly uninteresting and have no potential for conflicts (with the exception of the conflict human versus alien, but that is not a good source for some good character development), and the aliens look very cheesy with their red uniforms and sunglasses.
The first five minutes were awesome, but with the arrival of the ships the episode had a big downer and got back my interest during the last 40 minutes. It just is obvious that this show is too old for my taste and I am too young. I am used to faster storytelling, and the first part of V is not really a good example for good storytelling. Best example are the five minutes they needed to introduce the viewers to the alien ships (through the characters and the news anchors).
The effects looked great though. Even though some parts were really bad for today’s standards, but for 1983  they looked terrific, especially the scene in minute eleven, where the two workers look up in the sky and see the ship – this scene was pretty much an ancestor for Independence Day, very great looking picture.
All in all I liked it, but the story took too much time to introduce everything. Hopefully the second part starts right away (it is way shorter, so it should) and killed the boredom most parts. 6,5/10

Part 2
Well, I have to say, this part I liked way more than the boring first one. While the first one needed too much time to introduce us to everything, the second part bring us everything the story has to offer. It simply starts with the scientist deal, which definitely reminds of the hunt of the Jews in WW2.
I want to keep it short, but I definitely liked this part.
I didn’t even expected that much, even the effects are good for a TV show from the 80s, and the action is just superb. For a TV show from the 80s. When NBC can pull off such shows today like they did in the 80s and early 90s – I would have back my favorite network TV; the second part was almost really awesome.
I liked the deal with the hunt of the scientists, even
though one or the other story was a bit dumb (especially the efforts of Sancho (Rafael Campos) smuggling out a family; when he ate the onion, I had to laugh when he changed his face while one of the cops inspected his truck a bit closer), and even though I couldn’t understand why nobody intervened, after the cops shot down one of the escapees directly on the street. Even I would get out of my car and beat the shooting cop, even when it means he shoots me.
I surely wanted to see more resistance cells. We only saw the Los Angeles branch with Juliet (Faye Branch) as their leader – Juliet was not only more of an interesting character in this part (especially with the cane she got in this part after her little accident in the first part; she matured a lot while fighting against the visitors, I found that very pleasing; this is missing in today’s shows).
Donovan’s (Mark Singer, he would have make a good action hero) story was alright, though he was too much of a cool guy and didn’t question his actions really good. Instead of trying to explain the situation (when the Los Angeles resistance took him prisoner, he just wanted to fight them and throw foul language, instead of telling them something), he just was out for the action. And that he could fly one of the alien shuttles was just…laughable (in a negative way). Oh yeah, the shuttle hunt came a bit too long – four, five minutes shorter and it would be a good one, but that just took too long and got boring after a while. The writers should have spend more minutes on one of the motherships, because when the real intentions of the Visitors were revealed, it got way more interesting. But the writers didn’t really concentrate on that, instead we saw more action and resistance fights on the ground.
Daniel’s (David Packer) story was the most uninteresting one. Sure, the story needed that character to show how the teenagers get affected by the Visitors, but it was too stereotype, too predictable, and I didn’t like the way it developed. I know all the similarities with the Nazis and the French resistance, but this was just way too dumb for a kid from the 80s to even think about reporting his own family to the Visitors.
Robert’s (Michael Durrell) story… hm, I don’t know. I know that a father would do everything to get his captured daughter back, but his actions in here were really questionable. And it didn’t really had thrill, too, because I knew that the Visitors’ attack in the mountains would happen – because this was still missing at that point.
All in all: The first part needed too much time for introduction and was boring, the second part took most of the time for the resistance to fight the Visitors and the writers took their time to get forward with the story. That’s what makes the second part better. And I am stunned how this show still works after more than 25 years, I was very surprised. 9/10

7,75 average for this miniseries. No more words necessary. For now, ABC’s remake is at the ready. Expect a review from the pilot episode.
I am already on it to get the second miniseries of the 80s version, The Final Battle. After that I will try to get the complete first season of V, while watching ABC’s remake and trying to review the first four episodes during the November sweeps.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Girlfriend Experience

I once watched this movie already, but this time I got my hands on Steven Soderbergh’s alternate cut, which is a bit different from the theatrical release. And, I love to say that, better. It is slightly shorter than the theatrical version, but, like it said, it is an alternate cut. The theatrical and alternate version probably don’t make a difference for most of the viewers, because most of the stuff in the movie stays the same. But Soderbergh did the right thing and deleted all the scenes in the private jet, which didn’t work in the theatrical version at all; and now the movie is flawless.

The Girlfriend Experience is pretty interesting, when you try putting together the plot. Because of its nature, Soderbergh’s character study of a New Yorker high-class call girl named Chelsea (real-life porn star Sasha Grey, who wants to step foot into the real world of films) trying to manage her life with meeting clients, managers and living together with her real-boyfriend Chris (Chris Santos), has no plot at all. Chelsea gives to her clients the real girlfriend experience (girlfriend experience: sex work in which a female prostitute behaves like a male client’s girlfriend or shows (artificial) emotional intimacy beyond the sex act; paid-for female companionship), either the male clients talk about the economic crisis, the upcoming presidential election (the movie is set in October 2008) or just want to put some distance to their own families. In between Chelsea is meeting with friends (to discuss clients), managers (to discuss her rising in the escort business) and journalists (to discuss getting good reviews on the internet) and always taking notes about her clients (what she wore, what they wore, what they did and what they talked about).
It could be easy to follow a movie with these little side plots and with an actual missing main plot, but Soderbergh is not the mainstream Hollywood director, like some Ocean’s Eleven fans are thinking, and Sasha Grey fans don’t even need to tune in, expecting high-profile nudity. The movie revolves around sex, but doesn’t have one single sex scene, not even nudity (except the ending in the theatrical version); and what is most difficult is that the life of call girl Chelsea in a week in October 2008 is told in a fractured chronology. Soderbergh jumps back and forward in his movie – a snipping on a discussion, back to one of Chelsea’s clients, forward to another discussion, back to the first discussion. It might be complicated (well, it is actually), but Soderbergh manages not to lose sense of the movie all the time. And all the jumping into the story makes The Girlfriend Experience more interesting. After all it is not a movie like any other movie.

The Girlfriend Experience is a low-budget hi-def drama (they kind of seclude themselves) with actors a Hollywood insider won’t know (except you know the porn movie industry). Sasha Grey won awards with her X rated movies, and is now slowly getting into the serious Hollywood business (though Smash Cut was way too shitty and Quit doesn’t really sound interesting), Chris Santos doesn’t even do movies and looks like the character he is playing (a personal trainer who understands the business and tries to make his own success, with success), while the rest of the cast is pretty much unknown, real-life journalists or prostitution expose writer. Soderbergh manages to make the movie more authentic that way, and with the “alienated” look of New York City, The Girlfriend Experience is even more a difficult movie to get into.
With the little side plot of Chelsea having a weekend with one of her clients (and getting a potential Boyfriend Experience for once in a while), the audience can feel a little bit with her. Not even troubles the planned weekend her relationship with Chris, but the scene in which Chelsea sits on a step,
trying not to get emotionalized about the no-show of her client, is well played. Sadly the only real scene in which Sasha Grey can convince with her acting. Because the rest (the dialogs, especially Chelsea’s off-comments, the notes about her clients) is pretty much cheesy and definitely cannot convince. I don’t know if this was one of Soderbergh’s intention to do
the movie; Chelsea remains an anonymous person in New York (even though we saw her for almost the full movie) and we don’t know her a bit after the movie.

The movie is very cold and keeps its distance between the viewers and Chelsea. Soderbergh probably wanted the audience to be the voyeur as good as possible. This works while the cast is mostly improvising the dialog within a set structure and giving them the opportunity to have an everyday speech like it was recorded for another audience to play it over and over again – sterile, with much of a distance to the characters, but very effective. The meaning of a movie is not to understand the behavior or the actions of the characters, but watching them from a distance. You don’t need to get into Chelsea’s emotions, and you can’t get into them, because The Girlfriend Experience doesn’t show any big emotions. For that the motionless and cold scenes (you have the feeling to watch a movie, which didn’t use steady cams) are responsible, and definitely more than intended. The Girlfriend Experience is not a movie about a high-end call girl in the daylights of New York City, dealing with her clients who deal with politics, the failing economy and simply the own family (it is interesting how well you know Chelsea’s clients due to their talks with her). It is a distance movie, with the purpose not to know the main character at all, but still watching her to make success in her business.

This is the reason, why I love this movie, even though it is not a masterpiece. Soderbergh said that he shot the movie in 16 days for a 1.7 million dollar budget, which makes it a bit of an apprentice piece, but secretly it is a really good movie, despite the one or the other boring moment and the partly bad acting. But you never know if Soderbergh really wanted the “Nobodies” in his movie to play like it looks like they had never visited an acting class. This is another distance the movie has, which makes The Girlfriend Experience an insiders’ tip.
For most of the viewers the movie probably will be boring, but when you look closer and behind the curtain, you can actually see a lot. Not only a porn star seeking experience in the real Hollywood, but the time of October 2008, which are not going to me more clearer than here.

MOVIE REVIEW: Kissed

Creeps are people too. 1997 was a year of creepy people living in a normal world and trying to survive in it, whether it was Larry Flint making money in the porn business, James Spader and Deborah Unger, who are turned on to each other after car crashes in David Cronenberg’s Crash, or assassin John Cusack taking part in a class reunion in Grosse Point Blank. Vancouver-based director Lynne Stopkewich did another creeps-are-people-too movie in 1996, and it is this one here.

Based on the short story “We So Seldom Look on Love” by Barbara Gowdy, Molly Parker stars as the young medical student Sandra Larson, who was “always been fascinated by death – the smell of it, the feel of it, and the stillness of it.” Since she was a kid she dealt with the dead more different from all the others she knew. She holds ritual funerals for dead animals, which includes rubbing the cadavers on her own flesh. When she starts to work in a funeral home under the supervision of Mr. Wallis (Jay Brazeau), she even begins to take excessive interest in her clients – young men, who are dead. Soon she meets Matt (Peter Outerbridge), who develops interest in Sandra’s fetish and soon becomes more obsessed with the topic than Sandra herself.

Let’s keep it short for this one, because I don’t really have to say a lot about this movie. The movie might be great, the story is definitely serious, the characters are real characters you can meet in the real world, and the actors are very well, but Kissed was for me just boring.
It began with the character Sandra; I don’t even know why she is so obsessed with the dead – we see her rubbing a dead animal cadaver on her body (while she gets her first period) and I don’t know why she is doing that. Where is the obsession coming from and why can’t she stop with it (as she later mentions to Matt)? Why is she failing in the world of the living and is always running back to the funeral home to do her “ritual” to the dead men who are lying on the stretcher?
It was good to see that Sandra’s efforts to live the love life among the living, compared to her love life to the dead (I call it love life for now, even though it isn’t really love she is feeling for the dead people), is actually failing and gives a contrast to her time in the funeral home, but I still wanted to know why Sandra is acting like that. I don’t know if she had a difficult past with her parents (in an abusing kind of way) or if she even had experience with somebody dying – everything is in limbo.
Another problem is Matt himself. Because his obsession with Sandra’s obsession is coming from nowhere. It is nice to see that he understands Sandra without any questions, but he develops way too fast to a person, who has even a bigger obsession with something than Sandra does. And for that the movie is with its 78 minutes too short (I didn’t see the 88 minutes alternate version, which was obviously shown on some film festivals).

Other than that the movie is very quiet and takes its time for the story and the characters. Molly Parker has a sense for her role and together with the “teenage years” of Sandra, the character is probably one of the most beautiful ones in the history of 90s character drama (with the exception of the real reason of her being necrophilic). Which makes the movie itself to a beautiful one – movies with a difficult topic like pedophilia or incest are always difficult, and
most directors are likely to do a real and dark drama about the character’s effort to live as someone like that, but Kissed is not a movie about Sandra trying to live a normal life as a necrophilic. It is a simple love story with a bit of heart and with a bit of an unhappy end. The movie isn’t shocking in any kind of way and pretty much open minded for everybody; even for viewers who are not ready to watch a movie with this sort of topic. Kissed is for that not really serious enough and puts most of the value in the love story Sandra/Matt and Sandra’s off-comments, which go with her life.
The beginning of Kissed was the most interesting part, though. Maybe it would have been better to tell a bit more about Sandra in her teens, feeling how she felt and dealing with her obsession.

All in all Kissed did a good deed and brought us closer to a difficult topic, but with a bit more seriousness in the story and especially more background about what and why Sandra is doing this and that, the movie would have been better. In this form it was nice, but nothing more. Which is sad.

MOVIE REVIEW: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Michael Bay’s Transformers marked the beginning. Now the next movies about boys’ favorite action toys gets its own movie. And as I expected after seeing the trailer: This movie is so shitty, trashy and filled with tons of special effects, the movie is kind of good again; a summer blockbuster popcorn movie nobody needs, with actors who are not only miscast, but their roles are very boring and their respective actors bored. Maybe this movie was not a good idea to make, because it has zero value. Nothing new in story, characters, effects; this is just a million-dollar project of a production firm called Hasbro, a once good director named Stephen Sommers (who was responsible for the acceptable good The Mummy summer blockbusters), which completely fails in the cinema, because nobody is interested in a Transformers copy without the Transformers, instead with high-tech soldiers, who defy physics and gravity and try to make the world better while killing some bad terrorists, who want to rule the world. And just because Hasbro plans to do some advertisement for their toys. When is the next group of toys coming with a movie on their feet? And I seriously don’t hope they are planning a sequel to this.
Okay, when I am honest, I want to see a sequel; I want to see that writers and producers are learning from their mistakes and actually make a better movie. With less special effects, better actors and a sense of a good story. Because the typical and stereotype “Maniac seeks to rule the world” is older than James Bond and more boring than the sac of rice falling from a patio in China. Or trying to be simple: horrible movie, but good movie. You don’t understand? Me neither…

I try to simplify the simple story in less than fifty words: There is a secret agency with super-soldiers and there are stolen warheads. Super soldiers try to find the warheads and stop a maniac from taking over the world. Meanwhile said super soldiers have some difficulties with their mission and run after the bad people, the warheads and a lost love.
Damn, 51 words.

The movie is way too overrated, even though the ads for this movie were not that many. I barely saw the trailer in cinemas and I never saw any billboards. Maybe the bad critics of the movie are unwarranted, too, because you get from this movie what you want to see. You don’t go to see Transformers, when you are looking for characters, logic and a romantically sweet love story. You see it for the action, for the big booms and for the simple story, which is only a reason for things to blow up in a spectacular way. It worked in the first Transformers, it worked barely in the second Transformers. It didn’t work in G.I. Joe.
The story of the movie is basically the “serious” version of Team America: World Police with a bit from every military movie you know and lots of patriotism, cheesy dialogs, stupid twists and a falling Eiffel Tower. It begins with a flashback of the year 1641 in France and jumps forward in time to our present. I had to ask myself what the
flashback wanted to tell me; not only didn’t I see any connections with the “story from the past”, but when these connections are shining behind the clouds for a little bit, then they are completely useless. It works way better without the Man in the Iron Mask copy. And I know this was part of the G.I Joe history, with its comics and the animated TV
series. But for the movie it was just a waste of time. As it was most part of the movie.
Let’s make it clear: This movie wasn’t made for back-stories of the characters, for a meaningful story without plot holes, for getting the B class actors out there. The main reason for the movie was Hasbro selling some action toys. It is like a 170 million dollar campaign for a classic G.I. Joe 12 inch soldier, trying to wow the kids again and let the parents pay for action figures, which the kids won’t see again, when they start with senior high school. And it worked; G.I. Joe is somehow between a high-tech summer popcorn blockbuster nobody wanted to see after the opening weekend (as of Oct. 11, the domestic box office with estimated 150 million dollars is still under the 175 million dollar production budget) and a big commercial clip advertising the toys and lots of “Get recruited by the military and you’ll be the hero the country needs right now”. The characters were build around the action scenes and the story around the big bangs.
Of course, the plot holes are so conspicuous you actually go blind seeing them: Warheads need to be weaponized while zapped with lasers for almost a minute? Our hero soldiers standing on a polar ice cap in the middle of the coldest place on Earth, wearing simple jeans and a pretty thin jacket? Lots of explosions with big fireballs under the ice cap in the water? Well, maybe for now I am an unhappy film critic who is highlighting all the plot holes…

The actors in G.I. Joe were probably bored while making the movie. Main hero Duke (Channing Tatum) doesn’t have one single face expression to offer; his BFF and soldier partner Ripchord (Marlon Wayans) only a vehicle for the cheesy and supposed-to-be funny oneliners; Ripchord’s future girlfriend and redhead Scarlett O’Hara (Rachel Nichols) is just the hot bitch on the good side, while Duke’s ex-girlfriend Anastasia (Sienna Miller) wears sexy leather, cool sunglasses and is very bad. With The Doctor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and James McCullen (Christopher Ecclestone), we have two very cheesy bad boys, who just want one thing: masturbating while sitting on the throne of the world. The one wants to be the boss of all science of the world, the other one wants to be the boss of the world (it is pretty much the same in my eyes). And while Mr. Eko… ehm, Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje); Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and General Hawk (Dennis Quaid) are responsible for the unintentionally funny last battle, the good fight sequences (I liked the fights between Snake Eyes and his white-clothed brother Storm Shadow [Byung-hun Lee], especially their fight in one of the flashbacks, when they were beating the shit out of each other while being “normal” kids), and the cheesy general dialogs, the bad people are actually really dumb, when it comes to taking over the world. Because nobody stands against the G.I. Joes in this time of present. And nobody stands against the new hot fighting bitches Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols, who are definitely on some watchlists of future action summer blockbusters. Hopefully they are.

After a while it is obvious that G.I. Joe won’t be more than that, and this is what I was expecting after sawing the trailer: nothing, an action-based science fiction flick, a good vs. bad story, cheesy characters and dialogs, incredible bored actors, and all in all a movie without a real purpose. The special effects seem unfinished, the stories stolen (the scenes in Paris alone scream for a Team America: World Police rewatch), the action unstoppable. And, seriously, the action scenes are well done – at least this is something, Stephen Sommers can do really good. Just an action summer flick. Nothing more, probably way more less.
Better than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen? Maybe, but I liked it more, when alien robots are beating the circuitries out of each other; soldier fights are just plain after all. After all I have to say that I love this movie, because I hate it so much.