Looper (EXTENDED Movie Review)

Jeremy Scott joins Aaron for an extended look at a new movie live every Friday at 5PM Central. This week they break down best thing/worst thing for "Looper" as well as ranking their favorite Time Travel movies. At the end they decide whether you should see the movie immediately, soon, on DVD, on TV, or never. Feel free to leave a question or comment for us for next week or let us know what you would like us to review next!

 

Jeff Who Lives at Home (Movie Review)

"Jeff Who Lives at Home" has found an audience on DVD with it's quirky and endearing performances. Here are my thoughts on whether those kudos are deserved.

 

Last Ounce of Courage (Movie Review)

Thoughts on a movie that aims to have something to say about both honoring our military and the "War on Christmas".

 

Resident Evil: Retribution (Movie Review)

How is it possible that a video game spawned five movies and not one of them has been good? How do these keep getting made?

 

Finding Nemo 3D (Movie Review)

It's one of the most beloved movies of all time. Is it possible 3D can make it even better?

  

Trouble with the Curve (EXTENDED Movie Review)

Jeremy Scott joins Aaron for an extended look at a new movie live every Friday at 5PM Central. This week they break down best thing/worst thing for Clint Eastwood's "Trouble with the Curve" as well as trying to decide how much of Clint Eastwood's old guy performances are acting. At the end they decide whether you should see the movie immediately, soon, on DVD, on TV, or never. Feel free to leave a question or comment for us for next week or let us know what you would like us to review next!

 

21 Hours of TV 2012 Fall TV Preview (Weekend)

Wow, this is going to be tough.  I've already got 19 and a half hours accounted for and only 1 and a half hours left to spare to stay under my 21 hour limit.  Now I know that the weekend is generally slow, but it ain't that slow.  Which means one thing;  once I go through these final three days of programming and cull my favorites I'm going to be in for some major work in pruning it down.  But that's what it's all about, right? Discipline. Commitment. False Assurances.

Let's whoop this thing... Gangnam style if need be.

Bring on the pain.

The Rest of the Week:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
The Weekend (BELOW)

Friday

There is something mystical about Friday nights.  I think networks try and use it as some sort of television magic potion when a show just isn't quite working.

"Shark Tank is floundering?"

"Pour some Friday on it and see what happens!"

"It's alive!! IT'S ALIVE!! IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!"

(floundering.... hehe... it's like a pun.)

Anyhow, sometimes it works, (so glad "Fringe" is still kicking) and sometimes it doesn't (RIP Firefly).  This year we will see if Touch, Whitney,and Community can be revived by the move.

Well, you can see about "Whitney", I won't be anywhere near that monstrosity.

MUST:  Community, Fringe

The color coded breakdown:

8PM

ABC - Shark Tank

CBS - CSI: NY

CW - America's Next Top Model
Fox - Touch

NBC - Whitney

8:30PM

NBC - Community

9PM

ABC - Primetime: What Would You Do?

CBS - Made in Jersey

CW - Nikita

Fox - Fringe

NBC - Grimm

10PM

ABC - 20/20

CBS - Blue Bloods

NBC - Dateline NBC

------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday

To be honest, I'm not sure why I even continue to list Saturday in these things.  Apparently those network execs really take that whole Sabbath thing seriously, cause they all basically take the day off. Therefore, so am I.

The color coded breakdown:

8PM

ABC - College Football

CBS - Crimetime Saturday

Fox - Fox Sports Saturday

NBC - Repeats

10PM

CBS - 48 Hrs. Mystery

--------------------------------

Sunday

Sunday finds one of my favorite new shows of last year, a reality show that is losing its spark, a show I love spending it's first year at a new slot, and a show I love spending its 24th year on the air. In case you are playing the home version of the game that's "Once Upon A Time", "The Amazing Race", "The Mentalist", and "The Simpsons" respectively.

MUST: Once Upon A Time, The Simpsons

The color coded breakdown:

7PM

ABC - America's Funniest Home Videos
CBS - 60 Minutes
Fox - NFL OT
NBC - Football Night in America

8PM

ABC - Once Upon A Time

CBS - Amazing Race
Fox - The Simpsons
NBC - Sunday Night Football

8:30PM

Fox - Bob's Burgers

9PM

ABC - Revenge

CBS - The Good Wife
Fox - Family Guy

9:30PM

Fox - American Dad

10PM

ABC - 666 Park Avenue

CBS - The Mentalist

Weekend's Total:  Four 1 hour dramas, Two half hour comedies, Two 1 hour reality,  7 Hours
Final Total: 12 hours drama, 5.5 hours comedy, 9 hours Reality = 26.5 hours

-------------------------------------

:Face palm:

5.5 hours over.

:sigh:

OK, let's do this thing.

First, I'm not dumping any comedy.  I need to laugh and I only have 5 and a half hours of it anyway.  Reality is probably the genre easiest to cut, so let's start there.  Both "The Voice" and "The X Factor" will have one hour results shows that I can ax, and I can live without Shark Tank (even though I'm really digging what Mark Cuban is doing on that show).  I'm also going to go ahead and say I can fast forward through enough of the other reality filler to make up another 30 minutes. Which brings me down to just 2 hours over.

Now the hard part, I'm really going to have to eliminate shows I'm interested in watching.

Lets cut the drama then.  First, lets dump "Touch", I dig the concept but there seems to be a lack of forward momentum that makes the show difficult to get excited about.

One hour left and nowhere to go.

How about this?

Of the four new hour long dramas I'm watching (Revolution, Vegas, Nashville, and Last Resort) I will commit to dumping my least favorite after the 3 ep test and that will bring me down to 21!

Happy watching and come back to yourmoviefriend.com for more commentary and reviews during this TV season!

21 Hours of TV 2012 Fall TV Preview (Thursday)

Ahhhhh, Thursday night. The old faithful of network TV.  No night is as guaranteed to give my DVR the workout it needs to stay in shape. Actually, now that I think about it, the fall TV season makes my DVR work harder, but the result is that it gets MORE bloated.  Is there anyway I can be on the DVR weight loss plan where the less I work out the less I gain?  "Hey, I need to lose a few pounds, guess I'll have to quit that 5K training I've been doing."  Works for me.

The largest chunk of Thursday's ability to put heft on my DVR queue comes from NBC's comedy line-up.  Yes, "The Office" is becoming harder to watch, but it's completely made up for by how great "Parks and Rec" is becoming.  Which is good news, because it may be the only one of these shows that will even be around next season.  "30 Rock" has officially said it's going away and it would take a big year from "Up All Night" ratings to keep it around as well (a wonderfully underrated show by the way).

Elsewhere "Glee" makes a move to Thursday nights, "Person of Interest" tries to hold viewers' interest for a second season, and new shows "Elementary" and "Last Resort" try to break in to the Thursday crowd.  And that's not even mentioning "Big Bang Theory" or "50 Shades of Grey's Anatomy", two shows that have loyal, invested followers, even though I am not one.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, Thursday gives us "Rock Center with Brian Williams", which sounds completely amazing even though I have no idea exactly what it is.  Now, I know I could just Google it but instead I'd like to figure it out myself. Here are my top three uneducated guesses at what this show is about, based solely on it's title.

1) "Rock Center with Brian Williams" follows newsman Brian Williams and scientist Bill Nye as they travel the world learning about the geology of various climates through the pebbles, stones, and boulders they encounter.  Join Brian in his emotional reaction to the pervasive igneous formations of the ancient mayans and what it might mean for your future.

2) Don't miss "Rock Center with Brian Williams" a new reality show set in Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Contestants compete head to head with newsman Brian Williams in competitions involving KISS makeup, smashing guitars, and having "moves like Jagger".  The winner will ultimately be the one who can definitively settle the Elvis vs. The Beatles debate.

3) "Rock Center with Brian Williams" is a fast paced work out show where newsman Brian Williams teaches you the tricks he's used to form his legendary 6 pack.  Simply follow Williams through a variety of abdominal exercises as he continues to deliver important news and information.  The only place you can both learn about your political party's planks and do planks at the same time.

Actually, that last one is a killer show, you know you'd watch.  Plus, it would be nice fall back when that DVR diet plan fails to pan out.

The Rest of the Week:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday (BELOW)
The Weekend

MUST:  Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock

The color coded breakdown:

8PM

ABC - Last Resort

CBS - Big Bang Theory

CW - Vampire Diaries
Fox - X Factor

NBC - 30 Rock

8:30PM

CBS - Two and a Half Men

NBC - Up All Night

9PM

ABC - Grey's Anatomy

CBS - Person of Interest

CW - Beauty and the Beast
Fox - Glee

NBC - The Office

9:30PM

NBC - Parks and Recreation

10PM

ABC - Scandal

CBS - Elementary

NBC - Rock Center with Brian Williams

Thursday's Total: Four 1 hour dramas, Four half hour comedies, one 1 hour reality, 7 hours

Overall Total: 8 hours drama, 4.5 hours comedy, 7 hours Reality  = 19.5 hours

21 Hours of TV 2012 Fall TV Preview (Wednesday)

Yes, Survivor continues to be amazing.  Yes, Modern Family is the funniest thing on TV.  And yes, I too did a double take when I realized CSI is somehow still on the air.  But make no mistake, this is about settling once and for all that X-Factor, in it's second year, is the best singing competition this side of "The Sing Off".  Since we can all agree that American Idol is on a respirator with it's power of attorney in the hands of a public that has given up hope, the only competition is "The Voice".  And with the ratings basically a tie ball-game, it lands on me to break it down. So here, without further ado, are 5 reasons I think "The X Factor" is a better show than "The Voice".

1.) Simon Cowell - Say what you will about the man in the white T-Shirt and jeans, he has defined what it means to be a reality judge.  His presence offers a legitimacy to the panel that AI has floundered for since he departed.  He also has this incredible knack for being honest and harsh to those that may need to hear it which makes his praise seem all that more weighty when he gives it.  Adam Levine is the closest thing "The Voice" has to someone like him, but the "coaches" don't really have any incentive to be honest when their team messes up, because they are invested in them winning.  It adds up to a show without any teeth or critique and therefore no satisfaction in performance comparison.

2.) The Singers - Maybe it's just me, but I've yet to really fall in love with a performer on "The Voice".  Certainly there have been some good ones, but no one has stopped me in my tracks like Melanie Amaro did  last season on X.  Already this season there have been at least 3 drop-jaw performances on X, and I can't think of a single one yet this season on Voice.

3.) The Prize - $5 Million vs. $100 Thousand.  Literally 50 times larger. Now you may not think this matters to your enjoyment of the show, but if you were a talented singer, which show would you try-out for?  Perhaps reason 2 has something to do with reason 3.

4.) The Stadium - I love the gigantic stadiums for these auditions. "The Voice" feels more like a large karaoke bar while "X Factor" feels like a sold out show.  It adds a sense of grandeur to the proceedings that creates atmosphere and added emotion.

5.) The Variety - While the only difference in eligibility appears to be the lower age limit (The Voice limits contestants to over 15, X Factor has no limit) the way X-Factor uses young singers and groups adds an interesting flavor to the overall competition.  Arguably the two best performances on the two episodes of X Factor this season would not have even been considered for inclusion on Voice. Carly, the 13 year old who brought down the building with her composure, tone, and strength of voice would have been too young, and the guys from Emblem 3, would have never gotten away with doing their original song. Both shows do well at bringing a variety of styles, but only X-Factor ends up feeling like a true variety of people.

I'll be watching both, but I think "The X-Factor" may be one of the most underrated shows on TV.

The Rest of the Week:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday (BELOW)
Thursday
The Weekend

On to the color coded breakdown of the rest of Wednesday.

8PM

ABC - The Middle

CBS - Survivor

CW - Arrow

Fox - The X Factor

NBC - Animal Practice

8:30PM

ABC - The Neighbors
NBC - Guys with Kids

9PM

ABC - Modern Family

CBS - Criminal Minds

CW - Supernatural

NBC - Law & Order: SVU

9:30PM

ABC - Suburgatory

10PM

ABC - Nashville

CBS - CSI

NBC - Chicago Fire

Wednesday's Total:  One 1 hour Drama, Two half-hour comedies, Three hours reality, 5 hours

Overall Total: 4 hours drama, 2.5 hours comedy, 6 hours Reality = 12.5 hours

21 Hours of TV 2012 Fall TV Preview (Tuesday)

Tuesday may be the most confusing night of TV for me. Most of the new shows I've decided to watch might end up being duds (Go On, The Mindy Project, Vegas), and many of those I'm not watching (Ben and Kate, Happy Endings, The New Normal, Parenthood) could be very, very good.

What's not confusing?  That "New Girl" was easily my favorite new show of last year, and one of the only shows to deliver both "laughing so hard I had to pause the show so I don't miss anything" moments as well as "that was so good I'm going to immediately watch that scene three more times" moments.  I was so impressed by how quickly that cast came together and how the show got better throughout the year.

Oh and one other thing; Is there any chance we could combine the Dancing with the Stars results show with the NCISes and have the very first Reality Crime Procedural? No? Really? Sigh... Reminds me of the look on my wife's face when I suggested we do a murder mystery wedding. And that's fine, but when somebodies making millions off of CSI: Survivor don't come crying to me, I laid it right out there for you.

The Rest of the Week:

Monday
Tuesday (BELOW)
Wednesday
Thursday
The Weekend

MUST:  New Girl

The color coded breakdown:

8PM

ABC - Dancing with the Stars

CBS - NCIS

CW - Hart of Dixie

Fox - Raising Hope

NBC - The Voice

8:30PM

Fox - Ben and Kate

9PM

ABC - Happy Endings

CBS - NCIS: Los Angeles

CW - Emily Owens, M.D.

Fox - New Girl
NBC - Go On

9:30PM

ABC - Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23

Fox - The Mindy Project
NBC - The New Normal

10PM

ABC - Private Practice

CBS - Vegas

NBC - Parenthood

Tuesday's Total: One 1 hour drama, Three half hour Comedies, One 1 hour Reality, 3.5 hours

Overall Total: 3 hours drama, 1.5 hours Comedy, 3 hours Reality, 7.5 hours

21 Hours of TV 2012 Fall TV Preview (Monday)

Welcome to the 6th annual 21 hours of TV Fall preview. Everyday this week we will look at the current day of the week and what will be on that night (Friday, we will look at the weekend). It's my self imposed task every year to limit my TV viewing each week to 21 hours (14 without commercials, just so you understand I'm not as addicted as you think.). In going through the daily schedules I will rate each show red, blue, or green. Green means I will be watching (at least initially), blue that I won't but I won't hold it against you if you do, and red that I refuse to believe anyone of sound mind could be interested. At the end of the week I will add my total hours up and cut what I need in order to get down to the required 21, which won't include the 3 hours every week I peek through my fingers to see if the Detroit Lions have learned what this thing called "Football" is supposed to look like.

Oh one more thing.  Each day I will pick one or two "MUST" shows that in my humble opinion should be an automatic DVR add for all members of the human race. 

Monday

Monday night for me will start off with "The Voice" or as I like to call it "The show that starts off with an amazing premise and then quickly turns into every other singing show out there." I know I say it every single time I mention this show, but can you imagine if it had the conviction to stick with it's premise of only picking talent based on singing ability?  Imagine a singing show where neither the judges or the audience EVER see the singer until they are either A) voted out, or B) win the whole thing.  Every week would be an incredible reveal and the suspense would be intense! :sigh: I guess I'll settle for enjoying Adam Levine's insightful commentary and the occasional good performance while waiting til later in the week for the much better X-Factor (Yes, I am aware I am in the minority on this, I'll back it up later this week).

I will also be seeing on Monday if J.J. Abrams has some more magic left with the intriguing "Revolution" and what happens with my man Nathan Fillion on "Castle" (RIP Firefly).  Though I must admit Castle is quickly falling into that zone of a show I can kind of half watch while catching up on other stuff. You know, important stuff, like Angry Birds: Space.

The Rest of the week:


Monday (BELOW)
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
The Weekend


MUST:  REVOLUTION, CASTLE

The color coded breakdown:

8PM

ABC - Dancing with the Stars

CBS - How I Met Your Mother

CW - 90210

Fox - Bones

NBC - The Voice

8:30PM

CBS - Partners

9PM

CBS - 2 Broke Girls

CW - Gossip Girl

Fox - The Mob Doctor

9:30PM

CBS - Mike & Molly

10PM

ABC - Castle

CBS - Hawaii Five-O

NBC - Revolution

Monday's total: Two 1 hour dramas, zero comedies, One 2 hour reality = 4 hours today, 4 hours total.

Resident Evil: Retribution (EXTENDED Movie Review)

Jeremy Scott joins Aaron for an extended look at a new movie live every Friday at 5PM Central. This week they break down best thing/worst thing for "Resident Evil: Retribution" as well as trying to figure out how many Resident Evil movies need to be made before the universe just screams uncle. At the end they decide whether you should see the movie immediately, soon, on DVD, on TV, or never. Feel free to leave a question or comment for us for next week or let us know what you would like us to review next!

 

The 2012 3 Ep Test (New TV Preview)

Have you ever seen someone tackle one of those restaurant giant food challenges?  You know the kind.  They tempt you with a free meal if only you can down every last bite of the volkswagen sized burger with all the toppings. If you have, you’ve probably seen the result.  By the time the poor soul who bought it is trying to stuff down the last bit of beef he would gladly pay triple his bill just to go back in time and convince his idiot self what a stupid idea this was.

Well in the world of TV, I’m the idiot self, and this year I refuse to order the Volkswagen platter.

Each year I pick a handful of new TV shows to give “The 3 Ep Test”.  This test is based on the theory that every new show can be adequately evaluated by watching the first 3 episodes, no more, no less.  After the third episode I make the call.  “Out forever” or “In for life”.  This is the 6th year of this experiment (links: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007) and each year has been a pleasant experience of lightly tasting 5 to 7 new shows hoping to catch my attention...... until last year.  For some reason a year ago I decided it would be a good idea to try out 13 new shows, and by the end of the fall season I felt as bloated as the sad sack who couldn’t stomach that last bit of Angus.

The problem wasn’t just that I picked 13 (ok the problem was mostly that I picked 13) but also that I stuck with so many of them.  Unlike the abysmal 2010 list, where the only show that didn’t get cancelled was one I didn’t like, 10 of the 13 are still running! Of those 10, 6 managed to pass the test including the incredible “New Girl” which has quickly become one of my top 5 shows.

Point being, this time traveler has lectured his idiot self successfully and will not be making the same mistake again.  So here (in order of anticipation, from least to most) are the 7 shows I will be testing out for the 2012 fall season.

If there are any good ones I miss, they will just have to wait for next year’s “Ketchup” List...

It’s quite possible I’m very hungry right now.

7) Elementary (CBS)
Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 10/9c

The first mystery Holmes should solve is the theft of his own show.  “Elementary” is clearly a rip off of BBC’s successful (and brilliant) modern take on the London sleuth.  The only difference is that this time “Watson” is a lady.  Well that as well as the fact that it has no chance of being as good as the version starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. I’ll be watching though, mostly out of curiosity, but also because I love a good detective story, especially when Sherlock Holmes is on the case.

6) Vegas (CBS)
Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 10/9c

Quaid and Chiklis are the draw on this one, as a rancher and a gangster going head to head in the early days of Las Vegas. The “Vegas” previews look melodramtic and over the top, but the fact that it’s all based on a true story gives it a foundation to possibly overcome it’s own cheese factor. This has the highest risk/reward factor of any of the new shows for me, meaning it might be amazing, OR it might just be the worst thing to hit the small screen since I accidentally let go of the Wii remote while bowling several years ago.

5) The Mindy Project (Fox)
Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 9:30/8:30

You may know Mindy Kaling from her role as Kelly Kapoor on “The Office” or you may know her from..... hmmmm..... no, that’s about it.  But apparently it was enough to land her not only her own sitcom, but one with her own name attached.  I don’t have extremely high hopes for this one, but have heard enough good things about Kaling’s comedy skills to give it a shot.

4) Last Resort (ABC)
Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 27 at 8/7c

OK, so go with me here. “Last Resort” follows the leader of a renegade submarine crew that goes on the run after defying an order to fire nuclear missiles and then declares themselves the world's smallest nuclear nation.  AND YOU AREN’T GOING TO WATCH IT?! That’s what I thought.

3) Go On (NBC)
Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 9/8c

I’d follow Matthew Perry just about anywhere.  In fact I have.  I loved him in “Studio 60” a few year’s back and even enjoyed what he had to offer in last year’s “Mr. Sunshine”.  Apparently, I was the only one who knew that show existed, but the point is, I think the dude is hilarious.  I don’t even really know what this show is about, I just know I’m about to get my Chandler Bing on and that’s rarely a bad thing.

2) Nashville (ABC)
Premieres: Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 10/9c

What on earth could entice a country music hater like myself to so desire to tune in to a show about country music?  Nope, not Hayden Panettiere, though it will be nice to see her on TV again. Nope, not the plot either, though I do think the old school music vs. new school music could be an interesting exploration. Nope, the real reason I’m so excited is much simpler.  I have a friend in the cast.  Well, technically a friend’s brother. What I’m saying is that every few minutes I get to point at the screen and yell, “Hey, I know that guy!” and isn’t that really what life is all about?

1) Revolution (NBC)
Premieres: Monday, Sept. 17 at 10/9c

J.J. Abrams takes his rightful place at the top of my annual list once again.  Look, when you bring me Alias, Fringe, and LOST, you’re going to have to let me down pretty hard to keep my eyeballs away from your work.  “Revolution” appears to be another perfect Abrams concept, with both mystery and relationship.  And though I can see why the previews might be reminiscent of a certain youth novel about teens killing other teens, I think the show itself will prove itself to be very different.  My prediction is that every week he will leave us with one answer and five new questions, so that by the end of the fifth season there will be about 100 answered questions and 500 unanswered ones, and once again he will have left himself shy of the ability to please the uber fans who want to know every detail.  My other prediction? That I will enjoy every last second of it.

The Cold Light of Day (Movie Review)

Bruce Willis!! Sigourney Weaver!! Well... sort of. Thoughts on "Cold Light of Day" and if it's worth your time.

 

The Possession (Movie Review)

The only "horror" films that have ever worked for me are the ones that find a way to extend beyond the genre. Can "The Possession" make that journey?

 

The Words (Movie Review)

I love it when a movie can exist on multiple levels and still deliver a compelling story and clear message. Does "The Words" follow through on this promise?

 

2016: Obama's America (Movie Review)

It certainly isn't the first political documentary, but it's success means every four years we will see more just like it. Oh, and it's about Barack Obama.

 

Lawless (Movie Review)

It's been described as the "Goodfellas" of the back woods. Can it live up to those expectations?

 

Sparkle (Movie Review)

After Whitney Houston's untimely passing there is a lot of attention on her last performance and newcomer Jordan Sparks. So how do they do?

 

Breaking Down Bad (Episode 8:Gliding Over All)

Aaron and Jeremy continue to break down each episode in the final season 5 of Breaking Bad. Episode 8:Gliding Over All involves talk about Walt Whitman poems, amazing montages, and how this show continues to surprise us. Also our favorite lines, predictions, and lingering questions. We finish with another round of playing the percentages and your comments and questions Feel free to comment with anything we missed.

 

Hit & Run (Movie Review)

Dax Shepherd has been one of my favorite actors for a while, but can he write, direct, and star in his own movie, and do it well?