Archive for Author Quantum

Brooklyn 9 9

Sunday was a big night for the freshman sitcom when Andy Samberg walked away with the Best Comedy Actor award and the show walked away with Best Comedy Series at the Golden Globes. However, while there were some people who were shocked to see the show actually win anything, those who watch the show know that it’s well deserved. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, although not the best ratings performer, is definitely the best new comedy series on the air right now. With an ensemble that’s airtight and some of the best comedy writing anywhere right now, Brooklyn Nine-Nine deserves to be watched. Live. No DVR or pirating bullsh!t. It’s that good. So at 8:30 sit your butt in front of your TV and turn on FOX because Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the future of TV comedy and its future is bright.

Also on tonight…

8PM

SHIELDABC: Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (action)
CBS: NCIS (crime)
FOX: Dads (comedy)
NBC: The Biggest Loser (reality)
CW: The Originals (supernatural drama)
ABCFAM: Pretty Little Liars (teen drama)
ID: Ice Cold Killers (docu)

9PM

Supernatural, Show LogoCW: Supernatural (supernatural drama)
ABC: The Goldbergs/Trophy Wife (comedies)
FOX: New Girl/The Mindy Project (comedies)
ABCFAM Ravenswood (drama)
HGTV: Property Virgins (docu)
OWN: The Haves and the Have Nots (docu)
SYFY: Face Off (reality competition)

10PM

TV Person of InterestCBS: Person of Interest (drama)
ABC: Killer Women (drama)
NBC: Chicago Fire (drama)
A&E: Shipping Wars (reality)
FX: Justified (western drama)
HGTV: House Hunters (docu)
TBS: Cougar Town (comedy)

Poster - Pacific RimI’ve always been confused by the popularity of Guillermo del Toro. Fanboys and girls have been nuts over his properties for years; yet, whenever I watch any of his films, I feel like I’ve been letdown. Why is that? Is it because of the hype, most of which he can’t control? Maybe. Is it because of his enthuasim for projects that, quite frankly, I have interest in? Possibly. Or is it because of the visual edge he always seems to bring to his project? Again, that’s a real possibility. However, save for Pan’s Labyrinth, I’ve always walked away from a del Toro film with a feeling of wanting more from this supposed creative genius.

So, when I found out about Pacific Rim and its concept — I was intrigued. Giant Robots vs Giant Monsters — what testosterone fueled man wouldn’t love that? Add to it a stellar cast (Charlie Day, Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Pearlman, etc) and a script from Travis Beacham (who wrote the great “Killing at Carnival Row” script that has yet to be made) and my expectations were heightened. This could be one of the most epic films ever made and I couldn’t wait for the experience. Needless to say, I wish I could have waited because what I saw was a letdown — a major letdown.

A weak story killed this movie. Aside from the epic fight scenes, there was no real story and no real characters. People went through the motions and at no point did I feel anything for any of the major characters except for the Asian lady. And, the only reason I felt anything for her was because the child actress playing her in a “drift” sequence (A flashback sequence, essentially) was so good as a terrified little girl that it was the only part that made me feel for any character, at their core. Raliegh’s (the lead guy) brother’s death at the beginning did not make me feel anything when it should have. There was also a distinct lack of females in this film and was surprised by it. Normally, it’s not a critique that I’d make but there was only one lead female in this ensemble. Although, I liked his performance, Clifton Collins Jr’s character could have easily been made into a female to add an extra shot of much needed estrogen into this picture. Hell, you didn’t have to change any lines for him, and could’ve gotten away with making his character a lesbian. Charlie Day stole the film and was the standout as a Kajiu loving scientist named Newt and he cemented his status as a bonafide movie star with his performance here.

Pacific Rim

The big selling point, the fights, were surprisingly hidden. What do I mean by this? Well, every major fighting sequence occurred at NIGHT. What? At night? What does that mean? Essentially – you never saw anything during the fights because the Kajiu and Jaegers were masked by the night. Now, I’m assuming this choice was made to cut down on the CGI costs but come on — when you know your final battle is going to be (SPOILER ALERT) AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN (/SPOILER) then you can set your second act fight during the day. Sure, there were glimpses of daytime fights, seen in a flashbacks, but those were only that — glimpses. Nothing longer then a few seconds here and there. The big battles — were all at night. A choice I HATED and did not understand from a purely story perspective.

There was also some very weird character choices made throughout this film along with some very obvious allegories being thrown in for good measure (like the fact that the governments decide to build giant walls to “keep the Kajiu’s out” ala the wall being proposed by the US to stop Mexican’s from hoping the border). I blame this on the writing and well, del Toro’s influence over the project. I have a feel he was behind all of these decision’s and Beacham was just following orders because he’s a good writer (as seen in glimpses in Pacific Rim).

At the end of the day, a weak story, hidden fights (again, why were all the major fights at night?!?), some weird character choices, and the lack of emotional connection to the story and characters caused Pacific Rim, sadly, to be a letdown. I wanted more because I thought there’d be more to love about this.

My recommendation? Wait for this to hit the dollar theaters then watch it. If not, wait for it to show up on Netflix.

[rate 2.5]

This is the best show you’re not watching. The season finale is tonight and I cannot believe the ride is over for the year. Already renewed for a second season, Banshee has quickly become one of my favorite shows.  Headlined by standouts Antony Starr (A New Zealand TV Legend, apparently) and Ulrich Thomsen (The Thing).   Banshee started off with a gimmicky premise (sort of like the equally awesome Suits); wherein a recently released crook, due to an unfortunate incident, becomes the sheriff of a sleepy small town.  This show’s first season has been one helluva ride, somehow unfolded into an epic love story about lovers forced apart because of circumstance. Throw in Amish gangsters, White supremacists, a sneaky First Nation tribe, and an Asian transvestite hacker named Job — and my god this show is good.

This is a show that you need to watch and luckily for you, you’ll be able to marathon the first season now.  Honestly, this show should be on HBO not Cinemax — it is that good.  Definitely worth the time and energy to watch. (Also, Odette Annable shows up as an aboriginal hitwoman, that’s how crazy this show truly is).

Catch the new episode of Banshee at 10:00pm on Cinemax.

8PM

SYFY: WWE SmackDown (wrestling)
CW: Nikita (spy drama)
ABC: Last Man Standing/Malibu Country (TGIF!)
DISNEY: The Wizards Return: Alex vs Alex (family)
FOX: Kitchen Nightmares (reality)
NBC: Fashion Star (reality)
 

9PM

CW: Cult (thriller drama)
FOX: Touch (drama)
NBC: Grimm (fairy tale horror)
STARZ: Spartacus: War of the Damned (drama)
DISNEY: Gravity Falls (animation)
 
 

10PM

CBS: Blue Bloods (crime drama)
 
 
 
 
 
 

Posted on March 15th, 2013 by Quantum | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Entertainment

Holy crap, you don’t know how excited I was when I heard this show was coming back. I never expected this show to return but here we are today. I have very fond memories of this show from when I was younger when it initially aired… I can’t wait to watch this season premiere. For those of you who do not know what The Joe Schmo Show is, I’ll give you a bit of a history about it. Created by Rhett Rheese & Paul Winick (yes, the writer’s of Zombieland), The Joe Schmo Show was Spike TV’s signature reality series when it was transitioning away from being known as The TNN network (like AMC, TNN had a meaning before being declared sans of meaning by the executives). The basic premise of the show is that it is a reality show where all the contestants are actors, besides one, and the entire show is to get the greatest comedic reaction from the Schmo. It’s a real take on premise The Truman Show established. Just to give an idea of what legacy this show has left behind, some actors who have appeared have gone on to big, big things; including David Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Cricket and creator/star of How to Be a Gentleman), Jon Huertas (costar of Castle), Ralph Garman (Family Guy, Red State), Natasha Leggro (comedian), Valerie Azylnn (costar of Sullivan & Son), Jonathan Torrens (Canadian TV personality and host of Wipeout Canada), oh and Kirsten Wiig…

Though, I do not know if Rhett & Paul are involved in the show’s new season I will say that I’ve got high hopes for the new season and I cannot wait to see what happens with it. Hopefully it keeps up with the quality of the first two seasons and warrants a potential fourth season. I love it when an old reality favorite gets revived. My hope is that The Mole gets renewed next somewhere.

The Joe Schmo Show: The Full Bounty premieres tonight at 10:00pm over on Spike TV. Will you be watching?

8PM

CBS: NCIS (crime drama)
FOX: Raising Hope/Ben and Kate (comedies)
NBC: Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (hidden camera)
PBS: History Detectives (docu)
ABCFAM: Pretty Little Liars (drama)
OXYGEN: The Bad Girls Club (reality)
CNN: Anderson Cooper 360 (news showcase)

9PM

ABC: Happy Endings/Don’t Trust the B- in Apt 23 (comedies)
CBS: NCIS: LA (crime drama)
FOX: New Girl/The Mindy Project (comedies)
NBC: Go On/The New Normal (comedies)
CW: Emily Owens, MD (medical drama)
A&E: Storage Wars Texas (reality)
ABCFAM: The Lying Game (drama)

10PM

TBS: Cougar Town (comedy)
ABC: Private Practice (medical drama)
CBS: Vegas (crime drama)
NBC: Parenthood (drama)
PBS: Frontline (news showcase)
A&E: Storage Wars NY (reality)
STYLE: Chicagolicious (reality)

Posted on January 8th, 2013 by Quantum | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Entertainment

Dirty Sexy Money will always have a special place in my heart because for all of its spoils. It was both a show about an outsider looking in and a show about an insider wanting out. A sexy soap that didn’t go too over the top- the series died prematurely thanks to the Writer’s Strike. Deception premieres tonight on NBC with a plot very similar to Dirty Sexy Money– however, it’s taking a cue from ABC’s soap Revenge by adding in a central murder mystery.

Starring Megan Goode, Victor Garber, and Tate Donovan among others, NBC put the pilot for the show on its website about a week ago. I saw it and I have to say, it’s a lot better then I expected. The gist of the show is that a San Francisco detective (Goode) goes undercover after the murder of the daughter of an affluence family, a family her mother use to work for and whom was close to the murdered daughter before drifting out of their lives for years. There is a twist in the investigation because it’s soon revealed that the detective isn’t just investigating the daughter’s murder but all the members of the family for another crime. Though I’m not going to give a full review of the pilot, I will say that there are definitely some stand out moments along with a few head scratchers, in the way of character choices and even acting choices. This is one of those pilots where you’re not missing much if you decide to skip it but it has enough potential to be a decent series going forward. Nothing groundbreaking here.

Offiical Description, “Pilot”: The death of wealthy party girl Vivian Bowers doesn’t add up for FBI agent Will Moreno (Laz Alonso), especially in a family as suspicious as the Bowers. Convinced that the tabloid staple’s death was a homicide, he recruits his former SFPD partner and Vivian’s childhood best friend, Joanna Padget Locasto (Meagan Good) to re-establish ties with the Bowers. Determined to find justice for her estranged best friend, Joanna infiltrates the dynasty she once considered family, and quickly begins to uncover why Vivian’s life was very much in danger.

Check Deception out at 10:00pm on NBC. What else is on tonight?

8PM

USA: WWE Monday Night Raw (wrestling)
ABC: The Bachelor (reality)
NBC: The Biggest Loser (reality)
PBS: Antiques Roadshow (docu)
ABCFAM: Switched at Birth (drama)
CARTOON: Regular Show (comedy)
VH!: Love & Hip Hop (drama)

9PM

ABCFAM: Bunheads (family drama)
FOX: The Mob Doctor (crime drama)
PBS: Market Warriors (docu)
HIST: American Pickers (reality)
HGTV: Love It or List It (docu)
OWN: Shocking Family Secrets (docu)
TLC: Cake Boss: Next Great Baker (competition)

10PM

HIST: Pawn Stars (reality)
ABC: Castle (crime drama)
PBS: POV (news showcase)
A&E: The Haunting of… (docu)
BRAVO: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (reality)
FOOD: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (docu)
MTV: Teen Mom 2 (reality)

Posted on January 7th, 2013 by Quantum | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Entertainment

I remember first watching this show on a boring Saturday afternoon. I had no expectations going into it. None. I had no idea what this show was about other then it sounded like it was probably a prank show. I was right on that one. It was a prank show, but what I found out very quickly was that it was one of the best prank shows produced in the last decade. Not since I saw the first Punk’D did I laugh so hard at a prank show. Starring “The Tenderloins” a New York based improv group made up of five life-long friends- this prank show is unique in that the pranksters have no idea what they are going to have to say or do until they are actually in the middle of the prank. It is that simple deviation of the prank formula that sets this show apart.

There has been a ton of prank show failures since Punk’D, which have included the Punk’D revival, Prank My Mom, and a slew of other shows that have aired mostly on MTV. What I appreciate about this show is that you get laughs on two fronts; on one hand you’re laughing at the pranks themselves, which have included people giving blind presentations in front of college lectures to grabbing food off of the plates of people at a buffet joint but you’re also laughing at the pranksters themselves who have to go through with those pranks as well as others. These include multiple variations of a prank wherein they have to get people to say random words like “Nazi-lover” or “Chumbawamba” without actually telling them to say it.

Needless to say, this is a show that delivers the laughs. It is consistently funny and over-the-top. This is a series that though you may not feel the need to watch live, it is definitely worth the DVR space. Very funny. Worth the watch. Check it out- This is probably the best show TruTV has ever produced and is only being overlooked because it airs on TruTV and not Comedy Central (where it really should be).

Official Episode Description: (10:00pm) The pranksters prove insensitive while conducting a sensitivity-training class, have surprise celebrity encounters on the street and try being unreceptive receptionists in a busy office.

Official Episode Description: (10:30pm) The pranksters share shameful secrets in the park, don headsets at a fast-food drive-through, and ask unsuspecting strangers to dance.

Also on tonight…

8PM

NBC: Up All Night (comedies)
ABC: Last Resort (action drama)
CBS: The Big Bang Theory/Two and a Half Men (comedies)
FOX: The X Factor (music competition)
CW: The Vampire Diaries (supernatural drama)
HGTV: Hotel Impossible (reality)
SPIKE: Impact Wrestling (wrestling)

9PM

CBS: Person of Interest (action drama)
ABC: Grey’s Anatomy (medical drama)
NBC: Take It All (game show)
CW: Beauty and the Beast (supernatural drama)
BRAVO: The Real Housewives of Miami (reality)
GSN: Newlywed Game (game show)
LIFE: Project Runway All Stars (reality)

10PM

FX: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia/The League (comedies)
ABC: Scandal (drama)
CBS: Elementary (crime drama)
NBC: Rock Center (news showcase)
USA: Burn Notice (action drama)
MTV: Jersey Shore (disgusting “reality”)
ID: Nightmare Christmas (docu)

Posted on December 13th, 2012 by Quantum | Leave a Comment (1)
Filed Under Entertainment

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
With The Dark Knight Rises now on Blu-Ray, we thought that this would be a perfect time to revisit it with a Mini-Review. The scope here was great and that was my favorite part of it. The cast was amazing, the writing top notch, and the directing was great. I liked this more than The Avengers which I felt became too cluttered as it went along. Lots of recognizable faces in this one. Definitely better then Batman Begins, but just a step down from The Dark Knight.

Overall, this is a great way to end one of the greatest trilogies in film history. Nolan did with superhero films what Coppola did with mob movies. He reached and got to a bar higher than what anybody would ever expect from a film like this. It was definitely worth seeing in theaters (twice) and you should own it on Blu-Ray. I hope Warner Brothers sees what Nolan did and allows for that spin-off to happen, if you know what I mean (and those who have seen it will know what I’m talking about).

If you haven’t seen this one yet, make it the next movie on your list.

[rate 4.5]

Check out these Batman related Blu-Rays for sale…