The Walking Dead: What Lies Ahead

Directed by Ernest Dickerson and Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Written by Robert Kirkman and "Ardeth Bay" (a.k.a. Frank Darabont)

Season 2, Episode 1

Original Air date: October 16th, 2011

Picking up after Season 1's finale "TS-19", we see the remainder of Rick's group deciding to leave Atlanta behind for Fort Benning. Soon enough, there are new troubles for the group as they stumble across a church......

Some people I have noticed do not favor Rick using the walkie-talkie as a means for getting across exposition or vocalizing his inner thoughts, as this is awkward or monotonous to them: I have to disagree. I find that this means of relaying information to the audience is a good way to tie-back to Morgan and Duane (even if, as of this review, they have yet to reappear in their own separate plot lines), a way to make internal monologues work for the televised adaptation of The Walking Dead and to catch-up anyone who may have missed out on Season 1. That being said, let's take a look at the season opener.

* WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW*



For the most part, the episode has 3 major locations: an cluttered highway, a church, and a forest. Thankfully, the episode's directors  use the highway to his advantage, making it into a dangerous maze our group must dodge and overcome after being attacked by a pack of Zombies. There is a great deal of tension as the group hides under cars and in the motor homes rather than take a flashy and ill-fated battle against the zombies. That is what works about TDW as a comic: the group learns how to better avoid the zombies by using their minds rather than take a 'John Rambo' approach to the situation. Also, there is a great deal of discussion about the topic of faith in the episode, which I assume will be a major theme this season.


Rating: * * * * of 5 

Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest

Starring the voice talents of David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, and Anthony Head

Directed by Gary Russell

Release Date: June 30th, 2007

A fun, short adventure with the 10th Doctor (Tennant) and Martha Jones (Agyeman). I liked how by having an animated adventure, it allowed the creators to do more crazy locations and creatures for Doctor Who, such as the robotic parrot Squak, or having an Ice planet with a gigantic prison underneath the surface. The only real complaint is that for an animated adventure, I wished there had been a tad more action scenes. The writing for The Infinite Quest is up to standard with Doctor Who standards, but at times I wished there had been a thrilling chase in hte Ice prison or a sword battle with the Oil Pirates.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click here to buy Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest

Comic Relief: Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death

Starring Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Jonathan Pryce, Julia Sawahal and Joanna Lumley

Written by Stephen Moffet

Directed by John Henderson

Release Date: March 12th, 1999

Not exactly cannon beteen the events between the 8th Doctor and the 9th, but it's a fun little homage/spoof to the orginal 1963-1989 series of Doctor Who. Plus, there are a couple of interesting bits such as actors once considered to play THE DOCTOR, such as Atkinson or Grant, getting to play him in this Comic Relief video. If you're a big Doctor Who fan, you'll love The Curse of Fatal Death.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5 (for Whovian fans)

Click Here to buy Doctor Who - The Curse of Fatal Death [VHS]

Wonder Woman TV costume modified

Thank Goodness!

While it's been reported all over the internet, I thought I'd share my opinion of the Adrianne Palicki Wonder Woman costume.

When I saw the original costume, I thought it was the worst costume the producers picked up at a Walgreens Drug Store from last October. Sure, the corset was a good dark red that complimented the leap from comics to film, the pants...oh my. Those light blue pants....those light blue pants looked so cheesy, like the spandex they were made from would melt on the set under the lights.

Thankfully, the costume has been redesigned and looks more like a costume from Wondy's days during WWII.

Let's hope the next images/videos we get from David E. Kelly's Wonder Woman is more faithful to what the fans want...

Doctor Who: Time Crash

Starring David Tennant and Peter Davidson

Directed by Graeme Harper

Release Date: November 16th, 2007

A funny little short between the 5th Doctor and the 10th. Wished David Tennant had gone out as he was in this short: energetic, full of life, and always looking to new possiblities. Still, his interactions with Peter Davidson are witty, joyous, and a blast to watch.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Click here to buy  Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series

Highschool of the Dead, Season 1

Original Title - 学園黙示録 Gakuen Mokushiroku?, "Academy Apocalypse"
Produced by MadHouse Animation

Original Airdates: July 5th- September 20th, 2010
(Involves heavy amounts of violence, gore, sensuality, and partial nudity)

…in other words, Not for those under 17 yrs of age

Since I’m a fan of anime and zombies, High School of the Dead seemed like a perfect fit for me. However, there are a few problems to address later on.


In modern Japan, zombies have begun to attack a high school. Takashi Komoro takes action and decides to save childhood sweetheart Rei Miyamoto from the hoards of living dead and escape from the madness. Soon enough, Takashi and Rei meet other survivors: Saeko Busujima, a kendo master; Saya Takagi, a self-proclaimed genius and resident loud-mouth; Kohta Hirano, skilled marksman and gun fanatic, and Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse and the group’s only proficient driver. Will this rag-tag group of survivors make it to find their families, or to survive to the next day? Will the undead be their worst enemies, or the other people that survive this apocalypse?

The Walking Dead, Dead Rising, Dead Space, 28 Days Later…. The list goes on and on for how much Zombies have infected the imaginations and interest of audiences these days (the less said about the CW “drama” with zombies, the better). HOTD certainly wears its inspirations on its sleeve, from musical cues from 28 Days Later to the title brining up memories of George A. Romero movies (Night, Dawn, Day, Land, Diary, and Survival of the Dead). Since this is a show about Zombies, it would be apropos to have zombie gore, and plenty of it; there’s tons of great action sequences, and I applaud MadHouse Animation for their fantastic fluidity and style in bringing the manga to its’ animated form. One of the first season’s best episodes, The Sword and the Dead, features Saeko Busujima facing off against zombies with a katana.

Now on to the only reason HOTD gets a 4 out of 5 stars…

There is WAY too much fan service going on in this show. Now, I’m no prude, but seriously it gets really annoying when you’re trying to enjoy an anime about zombies, and you’re being blocked by fan service. I'm not unfamiliar with the practice, as seen in other anime like Code Geass, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Hellsing, but unlike those anime, HOTD pushed the fan service until you go crazy.   (If you don’t know what fan service is, look it up). I watched the first six episodes with my buddies, and we were all exasperated by how much gratuitous sexism and ogling of the female characters there were in the FIRST episode.

If you cannot wait until October 2011 for The Walking Dead Season 2, give HOTD a chance if you also enjoy anime.


Rating: * * * * of 5

Click Here  to buy First Manga Volume of Highschool of the Dead, Vol. 1

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Starring the voice talents of Steven Blum, Wendee Lee, Beau Billingslea, and Melissa Fahn

Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe

Release Date(s):

September 1st, 2001 (Japan)

August 11th, 2002 (USA)

Adapted from the hit anime series, CB: Knockin' on Heaven's Door brings the ecclectic bounty crew of the stars to the big screen.
On Mars 2071 A.D., a madman has caused enough chaos to leave hundreds infected with a strange virus and the Martian government to declare his capture worth 200 million woolongs (this universe's currency). While tracking down the elusive terrorist, aloof bounty hunter Spike Spiegel and short-tempered Faye Valentine uncover a sinister plot that set this man down his path. Will our Bebop crew stop his devilish plan? Maybe, since the bounty  is good......

I like the original Japanese subtitle rather than our translated, generic "the movie" that gets slapped on every movie adapted from a tv show. I'd like more TV movies to get a little creative when titling their movies, but whatcha gonna do? Still, the movie is great for Bebop fans, even for those new to Bebop. It's good that the movie gives you a fun, action-packed adventure that fans don't have to worry about where it fits into the chronology of the series; while newbies get a fun story without getting lost. The best thing about the movie is how great the animation looks: it is very similar to the show while being more cleaned up and detailed for a big screen presentation. Finally, the voice cast is back from the series, both Japanese and English cast, that brings that energy and fun into bringing the characters to life. It's always awesome to hear Steven Blum's Spike Spiegel; Blum's Spike is one of my favorite anime characters and his charming bounty hunter is a perfect introductory character to non-fans of anime.  Finally, there's the mysterious Vincent, clearly modeled after Bob Dylan. Vincent is a great addition to the Bebop Universe and quite the complex antagonist.
 
Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Click Here to buy Cowboy Bebop Remix Complete Collection (Anime Legends)

Click Here to buy Cowboy Bebop: The Movie [Special Edition]

EVERY ZOMBIE DEATH ON THE WALKING DEAD

yeah.....this is just awesome. So, here's a link for a video of every zombie death on Season 1 of The Walking Dead.

http://www.comicvine.com/news/every-zombie-death-from-amcs-the-walking-dead-season-1/142657/

GLEE: A Very Glee Christmas

Glee

"A very Glee Christmas"

Season 2, Episode 10

Original Airdate: December 7, 2010


Good: Dressing Sue up like the Grinch, and singing "Welcome Christmas"

Bad: Mocking Brittany for believing in Santa when an episode several weeks ago dealt with all aspects of faith, even Finn believing in "Grilled Cheezus". Oh, and Rachel's still an annoying, OCD clingy girl who doesn't understand the words "No" or "Go away".

Glee can still be good, but when it's bad, there's a lot of problems.

Rating: * * * of 5

The Walking Dead: "TS-19"

The Walking Dead

"TS-19"

Season 1, Episode 6

Original Airdate: December 5, 2010

So it has come to the end of the season, and what a ride it has been for Rick Grimes. In 3 Weeks, he's been introduced to a zombie apocalypse, dealt with ethical and moral dilemmas, turned to acts of desperation and rage, and has always looked for 3 things: his wife, his son, and hope. Last week, Grimes and his small band of survivors drove out to the CDC in Atlanta, hoping they were looking for someone working on a cure. This week, they found out that the center has only one resident, Dr. Edmond Jenner. The group thinks their prayers have been answered: someone working on a cure, food, shelter, and running water are available to them after weeks of no answers and searching. But, somethings is amiss with the good doctor, and several members of the group are lost in a sea of remorse and despair. Has Shane finally cracked, trying too hard to make Lori love him again? Will Lori ever tell Rick of her affair with his best friend? Finally, moments before the CDC blew up, Dr. Jenner whispered something into Rick's ear moments before his death: What was this horrifying secret shared between the scientist and the law man?

This was a great ending episode to the season, although I felt like Jacqui's death was unnecessary due to the character being pushed too far in the background we hardly got to know her or felt sympathy for her actions in the episode's final moments. However, there is a stunning back and forth dialogue between Andrea and Dale that displays the gripping moments of the show and the outstanding talents of the show's cast. Let's just hope that the "new" writing staff knows how to write for the characters as Season 1's writing staff.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

The Office: China

"China"

Season 7, Episode 10

Original Airdate: December 2, 2010

..........Okay, occasionally Michael is correct about something. For every time he thinks that yelling "Bankruptcy" is declaring it, he'll have a comptent argument over the concern of China's possibility of becoming a superpower. Initially, I thought this was a stupid idea for Michael to worry his man-child intelligence over, but it eventually worked in his favor as in one brief moment, the Dunder-Mifflin office saw Michael being smarter than know-it-all Oscar. And that's where the episode truly shines. Instead of standing on a soapbox and screaming about China, the writers explored the irritation Oscar expressed since he is usually seen as the smart one in the office. So then the scene is set: Oscar has invited to Michael to coffee to drill him over an intellectual conversation, effectively humiliating him and reasserting himself as #1 smart guy. Then the writers went back to talking about China, having Michael give a speech about how America is number one; seriously, guys, you could've picked a different topic and the point still could've got across. Oh well.

The subplot dealt with Dwight trying to shortcut supplies in the office building to save money, so Pam has to try to reason with Dwight. Sometimes I wonder if Dwight is getting too bizarre, a tad too cartoon villain-y. Still, the cold opening was brilliant.

Rating: * * * of 5

The Walking Dead: "Wild Fire"

The Walking Dead

"Wild Fire"

Season 1, Episode 5

Original Airdate: November 28, 2010

"Do not enter Atlanta, it's not what we thought it would be. The City...It belongs to The Dead now", Rick mournfully relays into a walkie-talkie hoping that Morgan is listening on the other end. Soon, Rick hears that Jim has been bitten and is trying to convince the small group of survivors left after the geek attack at the end of "Vatos". Initally, the party is trying to find the right words to get through to Andrea, still broken up after losing her sister Amy.

While Daryl, Glen, and Dale are burying the dead and burning the geeks, everyone else is trying to talk to Andrea, who hasn't moved from the spot where Amy died. While Lori tries her best to get through to Andrea, the best part was when Rick tried to talk to her, and she just pointed a gun at him saying "the safety is off". After Dale gives a heartfelt monologue about losing his wife and how Amy and Andrea were the first people that Dale cared about after his years of mistrust toward others, Rick and Shane have a disagreement about where to go now: Rick wants to go to the Center for Disease Control to find a cure, while Shane wants to an army base 100 miles away to better protect the survivors. Soon, it becomes clear that Shane wants to kill Rick to regain his position as group survivor and the only man in Lori and Carl (Rick's son)'s lives.

After the group loses Jim to wanting to turn as a zombie than endure the roadtrip to the CDC (you'll have to see why the group decides to follow Rick's plan rather than Shane's), we meet a new character at the CDC. Is this man friend or foe? We'll have to wait and see at the Season Finale next week.

Rating: * * * * * of 5

The Walking Dead: Vatos

"Vatos"

Season 1, Episode 4
Original Airdate: November 21, 2010

Some of you may have noticed a character in the past few episodes hanging around Dale at the compund and wondered who he is. Now, if you didn't already know, this is Jim; the reason why it's important to note this character's name is because it's the first episode where we get to explore this character and how he fits into the survivors' camp. Initally, we begin the episode with Amy and Andrea discussing the different ways they were taught fishing by their father during their respective childhoods. The scene works very well exploring the dynamic between the two sisters and also subtly explores their remorse and fear over what had happened to their parents in Florida without spelling it out for the audience. After that, we get to see jim on a hill above them digging into the ground, the mood of the scene getting darker and darker before the credits sequence begins.

When I wrote my review of the pilot episode, I talked about my opinon of how the developers of The Walking Dead should follow some familiar ground while also venturing into unfamilar territory in terms of both the story adn the characters, both from the comic and TV created. That being said, SPOILERS AHEAD (don't say I didn't give you fair warning): As the episode winds down, we see the survivors' camp attacked by "geeks", and several survivors are killed such as Ed and Amy. However, we find out that the reason that Jim was digging in the ground that day was to prepare graves for the dead survivors. Some may call it ESP, I'd prefer to thinking of it as Jim's assumption that they are all just one more day toward either becoming "walkers" or just dead. In between this, we saw Rick and his group journeying through Atlanta to find Merle Dixon (no such luck). However, the foursome did stumble upon another group of survivors and met another new interesting character, Guillermo.

"Vatos" brought up alot of new character development, but also saw the departure of a few characters viewers maybe wanted to see stick around just longer. Just as well, because you're either quick or you're dead, and those survivors are gone.

Rating: * * * * of 5

The Venture Brothers: Operation P.R.O.M.

Season 4, Episode 16

Original Airdate: November 21, 2010

.....It was just too much for words, so here's what it all boils down to: Hank and Dean have a prom in the hangar, then Brock kills mutant fly women. Sheer wacky awesomeness. Plus, new status changes within the "Venture Universe".  The only thing that sucks? This season's over.......

Rating: * * * * * of 5

The Walking Dead: "Tell that to the Frogs"

"Tell that to the Frogs"

Season 1, episode 3

Original Airdate: November 14th, 2010

Continuing on from last week's episode, we see that things with the Grimes family are far from perfect. This episode, Rick is dedicated into going back for Merle Dixon and to retrieve his bag of weapons he lost in "Days Go Bye". Lori, on the other hand, is trying her best to deal with the revelation of Rick being the mysterious stranger the group located in "Guts", but that Shane had lied to her by saying that Rick had died in the hospital. While Rick and Lori try to rekindle their relationship (in the brief time he's at the survivor camp), we see that Shane may be harboring some pent up rage and aggression, as seen when he bullied Ed into dousing his campfire. "Tell that to the frogs" is a great chapter in the "Walking Dead" storyline: we get to discover more characters in the camp, further explore the characters of Shane and Dale, and see how Rick will eventually become the reluctant leader of the surviors. While I think that the cliffhanger of Merle Dixon's status is somewhat odd, it does fit into what type of character he is and cannot wait to see where he next pops up in Atlanta. Perhaps he'll just return to the survivor camp to await his aggressors.

Rating: * * * * * of 5

How I met Your Mother: Natural History

"Natural History"

Season 6, Episode 8

Original Airdate: November 8th, 2010

"Galactic Superstar President McAwesomeville"- That really should be Ted's name for himself. After the lackluster episode that was "Canning Randy", HIMYM is back on track with a great episode exploring the personal histories of the characters. Set against a backdrop of a black tie soirre, the gang is at a GNB celebration hosted by a man who calls himself THE CAPTAIN. Kyle Mclaughlin is hysterically awesome as the captain; he's stuffy, but easy going and I would definitely like to see him return one day. Marshall and Lily have an argument over Marshall's decision to stay at GNB despite his college dreams of being an environmental lawyer. Meanwhile, Barney and Robin have a contest to see who can touch the most exhibits (personally, I felt Robin won when she toted around a stuffed penguin like it was her date). The episode worked really well with good jokes, touching moments, and the sight of Barney atop a stuffed lion.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

The Big Bang Theory: The 21 Second Excitation

"The 21 Second Excitation"

Season 4, Episode 8

Original Airdate: November 11, 2010

.....We've all been to big premieres for our favorite movies. During that event, there's that one member of your group of friends who's so concerned about seating that he'll bug you to arrive 7 hours early just to wait in line outside the theater. Therefore, Sheldon is driven to near madness for getting in line late to a midnight showing of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with 21 extra seconds (Penny's response summed up my own thoughts: It's like a whole new movie!) As the boys wait in line, Sheldon runs into his archnemesis: Wil Whetton.

During that time, Sheldon's girlfriend Amy has decided to spend the night with Penny and Olive during their girl's night in.

I felt that both plot lines were effective and humorous, but I liked the girl's night in a bit more. Many people find Amy to be a Sheldon clone, but I like Amy because she's funny and an interesting new character for the show. Plus, I liked how in this episode she was trying to fit in with olive and Penny by sharing "girl talk" (with too much information) or in her own way, showing her interest in having a slumberparty. While the "Raiders" storyline should have taken full interest with me, I liked the development of Amy trying to fit in with others on the show and the question of Penny's involvement with Leonard despite the two no longer seeing each other.

Rating: * * * * of 5

The Walking Dead: "Guts"

THE WALKING DEAD

"GUTS"

Season 1, Episode 2

Air date: November 7th, 2010

A whole lot went down in this episode and yet the one thing I wanted to see never happened: A scene with Morgan and Duane. Oh well, maybe we'll see them down the line later this season. Still, we did get the onscreen first appearance of Glenn, Amy, Andrea, and some TV created characters like Merle Dixon and T-Dog. While Rick meets some new survivors in a department store, we get to see a glimpse of life at the survivor camp. First, we get to see that Laurie and Shane's little affair has become more than a "one-time" event as previously seen in the comic: It's a little touch, but Darabont and creator Robert Kirkland knew that it would be best to shake up the story for familiar fans and I for one am glad they are doing it. Next, we get to see that not only do the survivors have to deal with the zombies (or "geeks" and "walkers" as they are called in this episode), but also Merle Dixon's racism and uncontrollable urge to kill. Perhaps we will see more of this character? Only time will tell. For now, you should be on board with The Walking Dead. If not, do your self a favor and watch the pilot and "Guts". Otherwise, you'll be missing out on one of the best new shows of 2010.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Community: "Aerodynamics of Gender"

"Aerodynamics of Gender"

November 4th, 2010

Season 2, episode 7

"We all make fun of ourselves. Even Tom Cruise knows he's short and nuts".

Let it never be said that Abed can't deliver some killer material from cliched material. In this episode, the group divides into 2 plots: while Troy and Jeff experience the miracle of a secret garden with a sweet trampoline, Britta, Shirley and Annie discover that Abed can make nasty comebacks due to his social ineptitude. Where's Pierce you ask? He's mostly relegated to sneaking into Troy and Jeff's bliss about finding the joys in trampoline bouncing, which pays off with a hilarious physical stunt later on. As usual, Community makes good use of crazy broad humor with good characterization amidst the pop culture references (especially the ROBOCOP POV or the subtle Blade Runner reference). I think one of the best parts of this episode had to be how calm and relaxed jumping on a trampoline can be. Also, the development of Senor Chang's "oh SNAP!" moments go from amusing to downright hysterical.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

How I met Your Mother: Canning Randy

"Canning Randy"

Season 6, Episode 7

...............Am I the only one who thinks Ted is not only becoming the most annoying character, but the dullest? Honestly, I think they should abandon Ted and refocus the remainder of the series on Marshall, Lily, and Barney (Robin can stay...for now). I mean, Ted is such a jerk that it's becoming hard to care about his journey to find his soul mate, i.e. the titular mother. Take for example this episode: Why did Ted egg on the obviously deranged Zoey and was still surprised to see her heckle him at his architecture class? That's SitCom writing 101, folks. Also, the way he resolved his students deriding him for tearing down the "historic" Arcadian building was insulting to my intelligence. No teacher would use this strategy unless they were desparate or an idiot: Ted is both.

The only real saving grace of this episode was Marshall trying to be a nice guy at his job while at the same time trying to find a constructive way to deal with a co-worker's repeated mistakes.

Rating: * * 1/2 of 5