Is Archer for Real?

FX's animated hit Archer is set to return this January, after garnereing a quite the viewing audience over it's previous four seasons. Archer deserves serious credit for maintaing relevance when rivaling animated counterparts Family Guy and South Park, though thanks to it's highly underrated voice actors that clearly have great chemistry together it is no suprise. Archer is one of the goofiest shows on TV, with constant but uproarious references to sex, drugs and alchohol and the occasional killing. Though Archer usually sticks to the same formula with every episode, which can make binge-watching dull, it is perfectly entertaining when used in balanced viewing portions. The whole show is a spoof on action movies such as James Bond, often with quotes and easter eggs referencing some of the older Bond films. I would definetly recommend it to anyone who enjoys goofy comedy or spoofs (seasons 1-4 are on Netflix, season five is set to release in January).

The Boondocks: A Blast From the Past Revived

There has never really been a show that quite portrays racial and social issues like Cartoon Network's adult cartoon show The Boondocks. Mixing kung-fu, hip-hop, and thought provoking racial potrayals and thoughts, The Boondocks truly is one of a kind. However, the show has come in stages, with season one and two airing back in 2005 and 2006 but suffering a four year hiatus which the show recovered in 2010 due to major popularity when it was rerun. 2010 resulted in season three and fifteen new episodes of which two were held from being aired due to controversial themes that were rumored to be incredibly harsh on BET (Black Entertainment Television). Finally, this January The Boondocks finally makes it's return once again after a second break from television.
While The Boondocks has it's moments of hilarity often, it still manages to carry creator Aaron McGruder's messages and thoughts on issues of the time that range from R. Kelly to graffiti. These powerful statements are often spoken by Riley Freeman, the most well read and intelligent of the Freeman family that is the focus of the series. Through their adventures, one of the greatest soundtracks in television history spills over into the background which was compiled into a mixtape called Hip-Hop Dock Trine and it can be found on datpiff.com for free streaming and download. The Boondocks is also quite the controversial show, as it garners hate for use of the n-word and is not afraid to challenge authority and brand politicians as racist. Despite this, I highly recommend The Boondocks to anyone who loves hip-hop and likes a good laugh (season one can be found on Netflix, but seasons two and three are only on DVD).

The Grand Trailer for The Grand Budapest Hotel

          Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the best trailer yet released this year for potentially the best movie of next year. Wes Anderson's two and a half minute trailer for his newest movie The Grand Budapest Hotel presents itself in a way only a Wes Anderson movie could, with eye-popping colors against perfectly framed and beautiful backdrop. This trailer perfectly points out the direction and identity of the film and captures the goofy and lovable weirdness that is a Wes Anderson movie. The teen romance of Anderson's last release Moonrise Kingdom is also showcased but clearly not the focus of the film, which was the main problem with Moonrise Kingdom. And the CAST!!! The only cast that comes to mind that comes close to comparing with Hotel's is John Wells' August: Osage County. One by one each star makes his or her appearances in this trailer, each with their wonderfully under-played roles briefly shown, tantalizingly coming to a finish with the introduction of Tony Revolori, our companion in this journey and the younger version of F. Murray Abraham, who narrates the beginning of the trailer. It remains to be seen how Revolori embraces the onus of a main role, but there is no doubt it will be the cherry on top of this magnificent sundae of a movie.

Charm in the Movies

Charm

“The enchanted day is only enchanted if we ourselves believe anything is possible”

[Mark O’ Brian]

                Anything can be charming, not just Justin Timberlake, but art and character as well. Movies can also be charming, endearing and lovable, in fact, it is what makes movies like The Wizard of Oz still relevant today. Charm is the ultimate x-factor when it comes to movies; you never know if a movie has charm until you see it, but it is clear when a movie has it. You have to keep your mind open, or else you will never truly be charmed and really experience a movie. The first real movie I ever saw was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone a movie that had a strong hold on kids across the world, with the charming and endearing story of Harry and his friends and their wide world of magic. Harry Potter is what got me started on movies in the first place, and it showed me how movies could have a profound impact on people’s lives. The first Harry Potter is by no means a best picture winner for it is silly at times and often does not make any sense, but the sheer charm of the movie is endearing to anyone who has a soul and covers up most of the confusing parts. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is what got me started on movies in the first place, and it showed me how movies could have a profound impact on people’s lives, as it had a profound impact on mine. I must have seen that first Harry Potter about fifty times since I first saw it, and every time I do the magic comes back. Charm is an unquantifiable factor in a movie, but it is what makes going to the movies special.

How to Fix Homeland

Showtime's hit drama Homeland featuring Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and the spectacular Mandy Patinkin hit a serious rough patch in its second season that the now-airing season three is trying to correct.
Homeland's first season was spectacular, as it perfectly told the tale of Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent who has the misfortune of also being bipolar. Carrie is tipped off by an informant in the pilot epsiode that an american POW had been turned by a particularly nasty terrorist named Abu Nazir. That POW quickly rears his head as Nicolas Brody, a respected war hero that was held for eight years. A game of thrilling cat and mouse insues, with Carrie constantly trying to convince her superiors of Brody's guiltiness until she falls in love with him. Brody gets her to lower her guard, and at the end of season two (spoiler alert) a bomb explodes inside Brody's car, leveling CIA HQ and killing hundreds, including the head of the CIA.
The bombshell ending of season two left viewers shocked but not suprised, as the Nicolas Brody storyline was growing quite thin and annoying and in need of such a bombshell. Season two went on for much longer than necessary, and it was frustrating to watch the characters run around in circles without any real developments.
Nothing against the actors, they all have serious chops, except for Mona Baccarin (Brody's wife) whose character has the potential for serious moments to shine that she squanders at almost every turn. Morgan Saylor, who plays Brody's daughter is a powerful actor but her whiny voice and poorly written character is agonizing to watch. Danes has done a spectacular job as Carrie, perfectly nailing the truth and insanity in her lines. As a whole, the acting is definetly not the problem, so what is?
The real problem with Homeland lies at the top, with the heads of Showtime too afraid to jettison the Brody family as a whole and move on to the shows strengths. As long as Damian Lewis is contending for Emmy's Showtime never has had the reputation that HBO does when it comes to killing off characters (HBO is infamous for it) and would be an incredible improvement to the integrity of Homeland, restoring it as a show that prides itself on capturing the real-life situations of CIA agents and moving it away from the soap opera that is the Brody family.

Argo: Is it worthy of Best Picture?

Argo, Ben Affleck's recreation of a real CIA operation in 1979 to rescue six americans trapped in Iran at the height of the hostage crisis won the Oscar for Best Picture last year and garnered solid reviews from critics and viewers alike. Like The Town, Affleck's 2010 venture into directing, Argo also features Ben Affleck as the star and hero. Affleck is a regular analyst at the CIA, who comes up with the wacky idea to use a canadian movie set to give the americans some backstory in hope to get them on a plane out of Tehran.
Argo was clearly a contender for the Best Picture from the get-go, with one of Hollywood's brightest stars pulling double duty directing and starring and unstoppable supporting actors like Bryan Cranston, with his Walter White pre-cancer haircut, John Goodman and Alan Arkin.  With all this personality, how could Argo possibly lose?
Ben Affleck did a bang-up job directing Argo, perfectly capturing the fast-pace and absurdity of the entire plan, but was it the best picture of the year? Against diverse competition this year, Argo was the only real blockbuster among the group except Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained which never really stood a chance due to it's racial themes and extreme violence that never meshes well with the aged Oscar panel. The rest of the competition could be ruled out for a multitude of reasons: Amour and Lincoln were hard to watch due to their dull points that popped up constantly throughout the films; Zero Dark Thirty gathered some serious controversy, as veterans groups and the government were up in arms about the release of tactics and equipment; Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook and Beasts of the Southern Wild all could have been great cases for the Oscar, but went against the grain of typical Best Picture winners due to their weirdness and indie status.
Argo is definetly a great movie, but was not the clear pick for the Oscar and against movies with more commercial appeal, it probably would not have won.

Game of Thrones

HBO's three season old giant Game of Thrones has been a massive hit among people of all ages due to some incredible storytelling and lush sets and locations splashed against brutal battle scenes. GoT is similar to Lord of the Rings in that they both are based from popular fantasy series and exploded in popularity when transformed onto the big screen, or in Game of Thrones's case: the small screen. Game of Thrones could never really be just a movie, as its broad themes and multitude of characters have yet to be fully revealed, even three seasons deep into the plot. All the problems that usually plague television shows of it's ambition, like poor funding or bad acting have never really been a problem for Game of Thrones. HBO has thrown bucketfuls of money at it, which has shown in the incredible filming locations that range from North Africa to Greenland. Eye-popping special effects like in season two's Blackwater featured an incredible green explosion that was easily the best use of special effects on TV in a very long time. A cast full of mostly unknown British actors has done an incredible job giving life to George R.R. Martin's spellbinding story. If you have never seen this show, then you are definitely missing out.