The Fresh Prince of West Philadelphia

With the supposed reboot of Fresh Prince about to happen I decided to share some ideas about how the show should be.  This time the main character is the son of Carlton who grew up privileged in Beverly Hills.  Carlton’s son is named William, after Will Smith, and is an absolute preppy.  Carlton, his dad, is now a Republican politician.  He's married to his second wife, since his first wife died (also the mother of William).  However Carlton (played by Alfonso Ribeiro), is involved in a major scandal (though he’s innocent).  As a result he loses his job, his wife leaves him, and he’s sued and is left penniless.  Carlton can’t handle the scandal so he runs away with his son to the only place where nobody will recognize them, West Philadelphia.  Carlton and Will must now adjust to life in Philly, where they soon realize it’s won’t be an easy transition.  However over time they become a part of the community and eventually find out why it’s called the city of brotherly love.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

I really hope Superman dies in the new Batman vs. Superman movie.  It’s not to say I hate Superman, rather I want to see the myth of Superman reach a whole other level.  (Spoiler Alert)

The Walking Dead

I’m not a fan of horror films.  I have watched many before, but I never really enjoyed them as much as action films.  I just don’t like the gruesome parts of horror films, and the feeling of being scared a few days after watching one.  So that was my mentality for many years.  Then one year I was watching AMC channel, when they mentioned that for Halloween they would be showing a marathon of horror films in October.  Many of the films included movies from the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s; a time period that I am intrigued by (fashion, culture, music/movies).  The best part was that since it was on AMC, all the stuff I hated from horror films (the gruesome scary parts) would be edited out; essentially becoming a PG rated movie.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

(Spoiler Alert)  I just came back from watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and…

Murder She Wrote

I must confess I never thought I would watch Murder She Wrote, let alone an episode.  Yet, here I am now confessing my love for the show.  I first started watching the show one day in the summer when the Blue Jays had a rest day, and nothing else was on.  I had convinced myself for years that there was no way in hell I would watch this boring old people show.  But on that day my only TV viewing options were Entertainment Tonight (I hate celebrity news), or watch Murder She Wrote; I chose the latter.

Okay so what I initially liked about the show was that it was made in the 80’s, and I felt really nostalgic about those years.  It had a wholesome quality about the time (despite the murders), that wasn’t graphic or used profanity like today’s shows.  While the time period drew me to the show, what kept me watching was the excellent story line.  The show is a pure mystery show that is easy to follow, and extremely engaging.  As the story progresses (in each episode), you’re given clues as to who the murderer is, thus allowing you to hypothesize ‘who done it.’

At the end of each episode, Jessica Fletcher (the main protagonist) solves the crime and you find out if your suspicions were right or wrong.  The way that Jessica solves the crime is fantastic because she uses the same clues that were shown in the episode.  This is what I specifically love about the show, because you get to solve the crime as well.   The absence of this is what makes me hate current mystery shows (CSI Miami, Criminal Minds) because the characters solve crimes without explaining how they solved it.  This dumbs down a show and is insulting to the viewer.

Other features about Murder She Wrote that I like are the incredible guest actors that appear on the show.  There’s hardly an episode where I don’t recognize someone on the show from another TV series or movie.  These established actors raise the quality of the show because they come from a time when real actors were well educated and sophisticated.  The show also doesn’t take itself too seriously because there are great comedic relief moments scattered throughout.  Unfortunately Murder She Wrote ended in 1996, after 12 seasons.  Thankfully I am still in season 5 with plenty of seasons left.

Murder She Wrote Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder,_She_Wrote

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Collector Cup

Well I finally had a chance to watch the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) movie last night.  I gotta say it was pretty decent and I actually enjoyed it.  The thing is, the build up to the movie was kind of a bummer with all the negative rumours surrounding it such as Michael Bay playing a big role, the TMNT possibly being aliens, and Raphael being a girl.  Thankfully most of those rumours didn’t come to fruition or were probably cancelled.

While the movie isn’t on the same level as an Avengers movie, it’s still pretty good.  To enjoy it you have to be a fan of TMNT, and what they’re all about.  If you cringe at the word cowabunga, than this movie isn’t for you.  However, if you come into it with an open mind and a fanboy attitude then you will love it.  At the very least this movie is a great start for a new beginning of a beloved boyhood franchise.

So the movie is good, however the reason I’m writing this post is because I also upgraded my popcorn and drink combo to a special edition TMNT version, which included a collector cup.  Of course I had to get the version with my favorite turtle, Michelangelo (which matched the TMNT Mikey shirt I wore).  The collector cup is minimalistic in design by only featuring the hand and weapon of each turtle, but what makes this cup nice is the mini-figure that is included at the top of the lid.  The figure is nicely painted and it was made by a company called Snapco.  This is my first collector movie cup, and I now plan to collect more cups in the future.  These cups add to the movie experience, and create great memories.  Movie Collector Cups I plan to get in the future are: Star Wars, Avengers 2, Batman v. Superman

Snapco:

http://www.snapcollc.com

TMNT Movie:

http://www.teenagemutantninjaturtlesmovie.com

Mike Tyson Mysteries

You know there are some people in this world where they could have great success or mess up big time, and you’ll always love them regardless.  Mike Tyson is one of those people.  I loved seeing him box back in the day when he would knock out a dude within a minute.  He did eventually have a lot of downs throughout his life, but I always felt he was a good guy.  But now, Mike has done it again with a new cartoon that brings a big smile to my face.  The cartoon is called Mike Tyson Mysteries, and it has that Scooby Doo look with an Adult Swim sense of humour.  In addition to this show, they’ll also be a toy line similar to Mego dolls.  Mike you’ve done it again and K.O. two great ideas.

TV Show IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3038546/

Toy:

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BBP28051#.U97gx_nlq9o

Lost

Okay so Lost is a show I never thought I would watch.  Reasons to not watch included; it was made for a TV network so it probably will be boring, the story of being stuck on an island has been done before (Lost Flight [1970], Gilligan’s Island), the idea of a monster is too Sci-Fi for me, Matthew Fox was boring on Party of Five so he’ll also be boring here, and I don’t like shows where you need to see every episode from the start to understand the story.  So those were my initial reasons for not watching Lost years ago.  But then things started to change in the way I watched TV shows.  First off, TV shows actually began to tell compelling stories that were addictive, and second the internet allowed people to watch a whole season or series all at once.  Like most people I became hooked to most of these binge shows such as The Wire, Dexter, and Breaking Bad.

Lost on the other hand was still a show I refused to watch.  But then one day I heard the news that J.J. Abrams would direct the new Star Wars franchise, and suddenly I became filled with reasons to watch Lost.  The biggest reason being; how much I enjoyed Star Trek (2009), a franchise I never thought I would like.  With my faith that Abrams was special, I decided to finally watch Lost and see what all the hype was about.  I was also hoping to gain a good perception of what to expect from Abrams in the next Star Wars films.

Now that I have watched it, I have to say I didn’t like the ending.  From the very first episode Lost is a show that revolves around finding answers to mysteries.  And while the final episode was supposed to answer all the mysteries, I was disappointed by them and also confused.  Yet despite not liking the ending, I found the brilliance of Lost not in knowing the answers to mysteries, but in the thrill of finding them.  Lost should be praised for the rush of an adventure that included fear, mystery, laughter, hate, love and heroism.  This rush is a result of well constructed diverse characters within a story that is complex, interconnected and intelligent.  I thoroughly enjoyed Lost, and highly recommend it because it gives us a glimpse of what to expect from Abrams in the future.  The Force is with Abrams!

Lost Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_(TV_series)

Terms and Definitions for Binge-watching

Binge-watching TV Shows

Binge-watch or binge-watching is the process of watching an entire TV series or season within a short period of time.  This entails watching a group of episodes continuously one after the other numerically.  This process allows an individual to comprehend and be engaged with the plot, and characters.  Binge-watching is best suited for TV shows that have a complex storyline that continues throughout a season or entire series.

Because of the scarcity of quality TV shows to binge-watch, an unfortunate outcome of binge-watching is that you must allow current and new TV shows to run several episodes before you can binge-watch them.  This process I coin letting a show simmer.

Letting a TV Show Simmer

Simmer or simmering a TV show is the process of allowing a TV show to run several episodes, seasons, or be completed before you can binge-watch them.

Binge-catch-up on a TV Show

Binge-catch-up is the process of binge-watching several earlier episodes or seasons of a TV show that is currently being aired on television.  The logic for this is to be able to either watch new episodes when they air, or watch the last few or final episode.  The advantage of binge-catch-up is that you get to enjoy the hype and publicity of a popular TV series before it ends and also avoid any spoilers in case you overhear important information on episodes you have not watched.

G.I. Joe Retaliation

Okay so I just saw the new updated version of the trailer for G.I. Joe Retaliation on IMDB.  My understanding was that it was delayed because the test audience thought the death of Duke was terrible.  So I figured they were going to re-film it with Duke in it.  Now I see the trailer, and Duke is still AWOL.  The first movie was okay, it grew on me, and I didn’t judge it too harshly because it was an establishing movie in this franchise.  But then I see the Rock in the second movie replacing Channing Tatum and that ruins the franchise for me.  The Rock makes terrible corny movies, and knowing he’s in G.I. Joe makes me think this movie will also suck.  Channing Tatum probably wasn’t my first choice to play Duke, but since he was chosen to play him, I figure let the man be Duke.  If Paramount put as much TLC into making G.I. Joe as it did making the Avengers (B-listed super heroes), they would surely have a much bigger payoff.

The Death of Opie

How shocking and brutal was the death of Opie?  Episode 3 of Season 5 of Sons of Anarchy just blew my mind.  Opie was my favorite character on the show.  He was as real as they got.  He was genuine, honest, intimidating, loveable, and most of all was faithful to the club.  But as they say, you live by the code, and you die by the code.  Why is it that every character on the show who believes in those words usually is the one that gets burned the most?  Honestly think of Opie, Otto, Piney, and JT.  Crime has no place for men of honour.

I really didn’t want to see Opie die.  I especially didn’t like the way he died.  It made me want to see the SONS get revenge on all the guys that killed him.  But then the show took a brilliant turn in my opinion.  It made Jax a business man, a man who didn’t let emotions influence his opinion.  He started talking with Damon Pope (a brilliant actor from OZ), and you could start to see the new level of storytelling the writers from the show were achieving.  Season 5 is about thinking, emotions, and survival.  Something that I haven’t seen since OZ, and The Wire.  So despite having Opie die, it wasn’t in vain, and the show will keep getting better and more groundbreaking.

Breaking Bad Paper Dolls

I usually like to Google random stuff that’s on my mind when I’m bored.  This one time though, I was watching part 1 of season 5 of Breaking Bad when I decided to do a search on Breaking Bad art.  I found a lot of really cool art inspired by the show, but the one piece that really got my attention was paper dolls from the show.  The artwork is done by illustrator, Kyle Hilton.  His artwork reminds me of artwork from GTA Vice City and San Andreas. They both have this cel shading type of effect.

Kyle is very talented and likes to create various paper doll characters from TV and movies.  On his website you can find paper dolls from movies such as Pulp Fiction, Drive, and from TV shows such as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Eastbound and Down.  You can tell Kyle is a true fan of these movies and shows because of all the detailed accessories he adds to his printouts.  In fact if you’re a fan of these shows too, you’re bound to get a laugh when you see them and they remind you of certain episodes.

Each paper doll character consists of one full color printout.  The cutting is pretty easy, although certain areas require more skill (such as the holes in a ski mask).  Once the cutting is done, each piece of clothing (i.e. pants or suits) adds on pretty easily and cleanly.  I like to use painter’s tape to attach pieces, because painter’s tape holds on pretty well and doesn’t rip paper.  I had fun playing around with this quasi-papercraft, and hope Kyle keep’s up the great work.  (I would also suggest he do characters from the Wire.)

Breaking Bad:

http://www.amctv.com/shows/breaking-bad

Kyle Hilton’s website:

http://flannelanimal.tumblr.com

YouTube:

http://youtu.be/V_eQjlCIItw

Sons of Anarchy

I decided to start watching Sons of Anarchy after going through the mall one day and passing by the 4th person with a t-shirt from the show.  I figured if that many people are fans, it must be good.  Like most TV shows I blog about, I usually like to watching them after a few seasons have gone by.  If a show is good, then I want to watch each episode continuously non-stop.  So where do I rank SAMCO among the greats of The Wire and Breaking Bad?  Well, I wouldn’t say it’s up to par with them, but it still is a pretty good show.  I think the problem is, its broadcast on a major TV channel, and not cable (if it’s still even called that).  The advantages of cable are that you’re allowed to say whatever word you want, and show whatever nudity you want.

Now obliviously, this isn’t a necessary ingredient for a show to be good, but it just seems like a show about a biker gang shouldn’t be restrained.  It’s like watching the Sopranos on A&E, it leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth when the good parts are edited out.  Another issue I have with this show is that (granted I’m only on season 3 so far), it seems like all the Sons ever do is deal with problem after problem.  What’s the point of joining any social club, if all you ever deal with is heartache?  But I guess that’s what the writers wanted people to see from the show, instead of making a biker gang seem like an awesome experience, they chose to show the reality of issues these people have to go through.  One thing is for sure, I would never join a motor club, but I’m glad I have the Sons of Anarchy to live vicariously through.

Total Recall

I did not want to go watch this movie, but because all my friends wanted to go I went.  I thought this movie was dumb since I first heard about it last year, when they were filming it here in Toronto.  Back then I thought, maybe it will be a totally different story line with the company Rekall being the only connection between the two.  But alas it wasn’t, in fact it was the same movie, except with different actors.  While I do understand that both movies were based off of Philip K. Dick’s “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”, I still would have preferred a different story.  The first adaptation with Schwarzenegger was perfect and didn’t need to be redone.  

The concept of Rekall is very cool, a company that can make any dream feel as if it really happened.  If this movie had been based off of that and then a new story was created, it would have been more entertaining, and could have spawned numerous other sequels to it.  There were some parts of the movie that I did like such as the graphics (Oscar worthy), sexy Jessica Biel and Kate (I always show my underwear in movies) Beckinsale, and the army of robots.  Now that would have been cool if the movie was about Colin Farrell battling robots in the future (kind of like “I, Robot”).  There’s no way I would ever recommend anyone watch this movie, and for those that do I would recommend you visit Rekall to have your memory erased and just keep the Jessica Biel memories.

The Dark Knight Rises

What an incredible movie... not just a movie, but an experience.  I waited almost 2 years for this movie to come out, and it was worth the wait.  In fact about a year ago, when the first trailer released I made a promise not to watch anymore trailers or read anymore news about this movie because I wanted to be surprised when I finally saw it. This was a difficult task because there were times that I would watch a clip online and then turn away, and I would get goose bumps.  But today I finally saw the Dark Knight Rises; I waited until Sunday to watch it because that’s when my friends would be free to go with me. 

My first impressions are that Nolan didn’t disappoint at all.  In fact just like the 2nd movie was to the 1st, the 3rd movie completed the 3 series of movies by adding more depth into the story of Batman.  I felt that the movie was long, but I also felt it was necessary because each scene was crucial.  The length allowed us to see more of Batman and Bruce Wayne.  In the past, this was one of my pet peeves, that we only saw them both for a little while, while the villain enjoyed more screen time.  But in this movie, we really got to know Bruce Wayne, and it renewed my passion of Batman.  The action scenes were exciting, and the movie had great surprises (thanks to ignoring online gossip for the last year).

The acting was also amazing as well, and I thought adding Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a great addition to the cast.  Bane on the other hand was alright, though I would have preferred him to have caused more destruction in the city.  Hopefully this is not the last Batman film for Nolan, but if it is the Dark Knight Rises will be an incredible masterpiece to have finished the story of Batman with.

Prometheus

Prometheus is another summer movie I went to without intention.  I had seen commercials about it and trailers, but it just never really captured my attention.  Then suddenly on Friday I started to read the reviews about it and I started to believe that it would be a great film.  It is directed by Ridley Scott who did Alien.  I don't consider myself to be a Sci-Fi fan but when I started looking back at all the films I liked, a majority of them have been Sci-Fi.  It took years until I finally watched Alien, and when I saw it I was surprised by how much I liked it.

I went to Prometheus with this in mind; that I might actually enjoy it.  I saw the movie in 3D because I heard the effects look much better, and that was true.  Right from the beginning you get this waterfall effect that I was amazed by.  The storyline is easy to follow, and while it does have parts that don’t seem logical, if you watch it without trying to make sense of the science then you will enjoy it.  Besides when has a Sci-Fi movie ever been correct in its science?   The actors are also very impressive in this film.  

Ridley Scott was blessed with actors that gave performances that will be memorable.  Of note of course must be Michael Fassbender, who I have been a fan of since watching X-Men and Inglourious Basterds.  Then there is Idris Elba who plays the cool and smart Captain of the ship (I can’t believe he’s Bristish); Logan Marshall-Green who I hope to see more of in the future (like in a cop action movie); Charlize Theron was sexy, and of course Noomi Rapace was outstanding.  I didn’t like her at first because she seemed out of place; too girly to be in a rugged violent alien planet; but as the movie progresses her character starts to adjust and grow stronger and I found that to be powerful because you start to care for her.  From what I heard this movie is supposed to be part of a series of movies, and after watching it I can’t wait to see the next films to come out of this franchise.

The Avengers

This summer, the one movie I wanted to see most of all has been Batman.  My growing anticipation started 2 years ago when pictures of the actors in costumes started to appear online.  Then a few months later the trailer was released and the nerd in me exploded with excitement.  As more trailers, pictures and news were released I took the decision to stop cold turkey, and wait until the movie came out.  I didn’t want to know about any more spoilers, so since that time I have turned away wherever something new appeared.

In focusing only on the Dark Knight Rises, I unintentionally ignored the new Avengers movie.  This was a decision that I now believe was worth it because after seeing the movie I have to say it blew my mind.  I thought this movie was fantastic and that coming into it without knowing any spoilers made it much more enjoyable.  The story was great, the jokes were funny, the action was entertaining, and the actors were exceptional.  There wasn’t one single thing I hated about this movie.  Unlike a Michael Bay film, that has so many parts that make it cheesy, the Avengers was a thrill ride from beginning to end.

I have to give credit to Robert Downey Jr. first for making a superhero like Iron Man appealing.  I never thought he (Iron Man) could be a popular superhero until he (Downey Jr.) made the first movie.  He brought excitement to the role, and was responsible for getting the ball rolling in the Marvel franchise (I also have to acknowledge Jon Favreau).  Before him I hated superhero movies like the X-men, Batman Forever/& Robin, Daredevil, Superman Returns, and many more.  The first Iron Man film illustrated the formula for a great superhero picture; an actor that fits the role (i.e. that is likable) + graphics that are outstanding and realistic + a story that is easy to understand and follow + staying faithful to the actual comic book heroes + building continuity from one movie to the next = a box office winner that the fans and general public will like.

I saw the Avengers in 3D AVX, and while it was much more expensive I think you have to treat yourself to a film like this once in a while.  There’s something that makes the movie better when you go to a theater that is packed, put your 3D glasses on, and munch on some really expensive popcorn.  I swear this was the first film I have been to in a while that the audience laughed out loud, cheered, and clapped at the end.  Like most people, I will probably see it again once it comes out on DVD.  The best part of the film was that it ended with a clip that hints at a sequel, so I can’t for that.

Despicable Me 2

Great News, they’re planning on releasing a second movie of Despicable Me. This news got me excited, but can we finally get some Minion toys? 

Breaking Bad

While not quite a winter to be hibernating in bed, this year I chose to watch Breaking Bad as my winter show.  As mentioned last year, during the winter I like to watch an entire TV series online.  Since it’s too cold outside and I hate to drive in the snow at night, watching TV is the perfect excuse to stay in bed (all warm like a cinnamon bun).  I have to admit it, since starting this winter tradition a few years ago with The Wire, I have never thought anything could beat that show.  While OZ was good and Dexter as well, I just kept thinking the acting and storylines with brilliant plots was amazing in The Wire.  So I can now say I came into Breaking Bad with preconceived notions that it wouldn’t be as good. 

I am now on season 4 of the show, and I have to admit this show is just as good as The Wire.  Season 1 starts off a bit slow, and maybe a bit predictable.  For instance you know it’s a drug show, so you’re just waiting for certain events to happen; cooking drugs, trying to sell them, and trying to avoid problems.  By the time season 2 comes, you are more familiar with the characters and the show starts to find its own voice in originality.  From then on the show becomes brilliant for me.  In season 3 and 4, you start to make sense of the bits and pieces of storyline from the show; for example you get flashbacks and flash-forwards, and you get to see how a far distant character can then become a part of the main story.  What I appreciate the most from this show is how problems are resolved in innovated ways.  For fans of violence, the show also features many scenes that I found to be quite graphic.  Despite airing on AMC, I have to say AMC has sure done a great job in producing some of the best shows on television.

Link:

http://tv.blinkx.com/show/breaking-bad/kD5n9jUm2WkAvuyN

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Well I just came back from the movie theatre where I watched the new Transformers movie.  I arrived about an hour early because I wanted good seats, which paid off because I got to choose where I wanted to sit.  This being a Michael Bay film, I knew there was no other way to watch this film but in 3D.  First off the graphics were amazing and just as polished as the first two films.  There were scenes in it where I thought, wow the graphic artists must have taken years to work on just one scene.  For example when a building is toppling over, and people are falling all around.  The acting this time around was way better than the first, mainly because there weren’t many dramatic scenes; mostly action.  While Mega Fox wasn’t in this film, the new female Rose (whatever here last name is) was a much better replacement.

Yes, it’s very far-fetched for Sam Witwicky to have 2 beautiful girlfriends in a row, but come on that’s what summer blockbusters are all about (hot chicks showing their ass).  What also added to this film was the original characters that came back and you were familiar with.  I wasn’t a fan of the first film, but after the second film and now the third I became comfortable with the wacky characters and enjoyed the film itself.  Now the storyline was very good as well, because it finally allowed for the Autobots to kick some ass.  I hated how in previous films their fight scenes were short, and they never really demonstrated what they were capable of.  In DOTM, we got to see the Transformers fight one another up-close, and use different fighting skills and weapons.  Overall this has been my favourite Transformers film and can’t wait to watch it again.

Transformers Movie:

http://www.transformersmovie.com