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Highly Recommended

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 27 August 2008 08:05 (A review of Generation Kill)

Generation Kill is the HBO mini-series about the invasion of Iraq as seen from the point of view of the men of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. The mini-series is less typical war action and more like a road trip of the invasion. It is at times humorous, gruesome, sad with some of the coarsest language I've encountered.

Generation Kill doesn't spend much time introducing the characters so for the first few episodes I was confused as to who was who but by the end I felt like I knew these guys. Even though there isn't wall-to-wall action, when it happens it feels both terrifying and exhilarating. A lot of tension is created in the anticipation that something terrible is going to happen. In one of the later episodes there is a scene of the Marines helping people across a checkpoint and my heart was pounding thinking that a suicide bomber could be in their midst.





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Adorable and fun

Posted : 1 year, 7 months ago on 1 May 2008 12:29 (A review of Pushing Daisies)

I've been hearing good things about this show but the concept put me off at first. But, I'm glad I gave it a chance because what ought to be a morbid, depressing topic is actually a cute, humorous take on life and love.

With its vibrant colors, voice-overs and interesting characters, Pushing Daisies is a modern fairytale brought to life. The show moves at a fast pace, introducing various facets of the characters' lives while handling the mystery case of the week. The dialogue is eminently quotable and you will be chuckling when you remember a particular line or event.

Pushing Daisies' charm lies in the absurdity of the situations, the overly sentimental(ness) of emotions and the idionsyncracies of the different characters. It will definitely bring a smile to your face.


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Brilliant and hopelessly underrated

Posted : 1 year, 7 months ago on 16 April 2008 06:31 (A review of Firefly)

When Firefly came out I was put off at the thought of watching a space western. I guess a lot of people felt that way because the series only lasted half a season.

But after watching it on DVD, I was amazed by the great mix of humor, action, drama that Joss Whedon packed into these 13 or so episodes. It's not like anything you've ever seen on television and probably nothing you'll see in the forseeable future.

I dare you not to fall in love with each of the characters in Firefly. A fantastic show that should have been given a chance to bloom.

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A solid show

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 24 February 2008 07:00 (A review of "Saving Grace")

Grace Hanadarko (Holly Hunter) is a good cop but her personal life is in the toilet with too much drinking, fast driving and sleeping around. She's offered the chance to redeem her life by a angel. The show follows her journey to redemption with the ever present question of "Will she make it?"

Saving Grace is a top-notch show with real characters and real emotions. You'll find yourself going from humor to anger to resignation in a span of a few minutes.

Hunter's performance especially is fantastic. At times you want to wring Grace's neck for the decisions she makes but Hunter injects this vulnerability that you find yourself sympathizing with Grace.

Leon Rippy is hilarious as the tobacco-chewing angel who follows Grace around.

This isn't Touched by an Angel - though there are moments of compassion, there's always this doubt over whether Grace will achieve her redemption.

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One of my all time favorites

Posted : 2 years, 3 months ago on 20 August 2007 02:54 (A review of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

I'm a huge fan of criminal forensics and when CSI first came out I jumped at the chance to watch a new take on the usual murder/mysteries shows. This isn't Columbo or Murder She Wrote - the clues are in DNA or some shoe impression, or even a piece of lint (maybe I'm exaggerating).

But still, the show has lasted this long because of the intriguing stories, great ensemble cast and the way they mix in science without making it boring.

Favorite Character: Gil Grissom
Favorite Episode: Grave Danger (season 5)

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A show ahead of its time

Posted : 2 years, 3 months ago on 19 August 2007 10:32 (A review of Space: Above and Beyond)

Set in the mid 21st century, Space: Above and Beyond follows the a team of rookie pilots, the 58th "Wildcards", who are called to duty when most of Earth's military forces are destroyed by an alien species, the "Chigs".

Known for its gritty and often depressing look at the frontlines of war, this cult classic only lasted one season.

While realistic sci-fi is now dime a dozen, Space: Above and Beyond was an anathema for sci-fi tv in the mid-90s. The dark storylines together with some bad scripts and Fox's poor handling of the show made it difficult for the show to find its audience.

When it first aired, Nathan West's quest to find his girlfriend, Kylen Celina was my main motivation for watching the show. But on viewing it again more recently I found the overall arc to be cliched and West to be a sniveling, complaining individual.

Far more interesting is the character study of invitro, Hawkes and his relationship with the rest of the team, especially fellow invitro, Lt. Col T.C. McQueen (played by James Morrison). McQueen remains to be my favorite character on the show.

While a lot of the effects haven't aged gracefully, Space: Above and Beyond's underlying theme of loyalty and courage during times of conflict is still powerful enough to overcome its shortcomings.

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Interesting concept but uneven execution

Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 3 August 2007 06:16 (A review of "Torchwood")

A spin-off of Doctor Who which revolves around a secret agency dealing with alien technology and supernatural activities in Cardiff, Wales.

If you come to this looking for a Doctor Who-type show you'll be severely disappointed. It's more adult, more violent but frankly, not as good as Doctor Who. While the story concepts are interesting, much of the plot execution happens as a result of convenience. There were a number of times when I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how an episode unfolded.

Also at times the show comes across as disjointed. The early episodes have different styles that makes it hard to follow. Is it scary?, is it action?, is it funny? All of the above?

In terms of character development, the only people we really get to know is the team newcomer, Gwen and Captain Jack Harkness. Even though the other team members, Owen, Tosh and Ianto all get their own episodes, I don't have a real feel for them, as though they are after thoughts with motivations that change to suit the story. This leads to some clunkers for episodes like Cyberwoman or Combat.

But it's not all doom and gloom because Torchwood starts to improve in the latter part of the season. In particular I enjoyed "They Keep Killing Suzie", "Random Shoes", "Out of Time" and "Captain Jack Harkness" which mixes good character pieces with really well-developed stories.

What I've noticed with most episodes is that things start off interesting but then taper to this "Oh, is that it then?" type of endings. Hopefully things improve in season 2.

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