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I can see why NBC passed on this. The fact that it is a romantic comedy series is not what I don’t like about it. Sure, I don’t think it’s helping my case for why I did not enjoy this pilot that much, but really, I don’t mind rom-coms that much. They might be as cliche as they come, but there can be some good qualities to them, especially when you know you need to find them when you’re trying to impress your date on a certain night. But with Mindy Kaling’s new series, there’s no romanticism for the genre. There are lots of references to them, but references do not make a show and what kills me here is that for a show with such an impressive cast, everything about it feels lackluster.

In the series, Mindy Kaling, who is also the star and creator, plays an OBGYN named (well you guessed it) Mindy and she must battle the ups and downs of dating, which gets exasperated when she gets drunk at her ex’s wedding and proceeds to ride a stolen bike into someone’s random pool. It is that setup which gives way to the rest of the episode, as Mindy explains the pilot’s events in a series of pseudo flashbacks that soon turn into flashforwards. It is a weird framing device, but it oddly works. I just hope that it is only used this once for the pilot as a way to set up everything, but if they plan on making this a recurring device, I’m going to be tuning out fairly quickly. In fact, there’s one portion of the pilot that deals with a Muslim woman and a young child that seek Mindy’s advice, and then deliver a baby… meaning that the single episode spans more then eight months. And I had no idea if the kid was the father of said baby, since they never explained it. This was rather unfortunate because it made that subplot more confusing then it should have been.

As a comedy, it’s unfortunate that the trailer gives away all the funny jokes from the pilot. Future episodes will likely not be that way, but what that tells me is that, with Mindy writing, it could mean that the jokes are few and far between. I am not comfortable with that potential future, but one thing this show has going for it is that it has apparently poached half the writing staff from Community which means it should start bringing the funny. The likes of Chris McKenna (Emmy nominated writer for the classic Community episode “Remedial Chaos Theory”), Adam Countee (who penned my favorite episode from season 3 “Curriculum Unavailable”), and Ike Barinholtz (my favorite MAD TV cast member) will be writing future episodes. In Barinholtz’s case, he’ll be performing in the show as a new regular, so I’m hoping that elevates the show’s quality.

The other thing this show has going for it is that it has a truly insane cast. Chris Messina, Anna Camp, Ed Weeks, and even the likeable Mindy Kaling do good work in their roles, especially Anna Camp who seems to be an actress who is above playing such a small, supporting role (though I suspect her part will expand as the series grows). They all elevate what is really weak material and seem to be having fun doing so, especially Messina who portrays Dr. Danny Castellano, the Nick Wagner (New Girl reference, anyone?!?) of the show. And if the show can attract guest stars of Bill Hader and Ed Helms’ caliber on a consistent basis, they could draw some extra eyes.

I’m just hoping that Mindy Kaling sticks with the acting here. Sure, her pilot does have its moment, but with her attention divided, I feel like it could deliver an overall weaker series and that’s where the worry comes in. There’s definitely going to be some people who are instant fans of the series and that’s fine. For the woman, I expect them to be the first ones aboard the bandwagon, but to draw a wider, male net, the show is going to need to deliver more funny while appealing the female sentimentality. I was hoping to like this more as, like I’ve said before, I do enjoy the work of a lot of people involved with this show. They are going to need to find their footing fast or it could lose me as a viewer. This is a series that has been overhyped (probably the most overhyped of the fall freshman class) and I suspect there are going to be people who are let down by the final product. The Mindy Project is not going to be the worst show that hits the air this fall (my money is on The Neighbors or The Mob Doctor to take that title), but it is definitely not an upper echelon comedy. Approach with caution and keep in mind that better comedies are premiering.

[rate 1.5]

The Mindy Project premieres on September 25, 2012 at 9:30pm on FOX.

From the forces that brought the world LOST, Supernatural, and Iron Man; JJ Abrams, Eric Kripke, and Jon Faverau, comes this new high concept television series set in the near future in a world where all forms of electrical energy have been wiped out in what has been dubbed “the blackout.” The show follows the adventures of The Mathesons’, a uncle, niece, and nephew combination, along with their friends, as they struggle to come to gripes in a world where the government we know is gone and a harsh miltia, known as the Monroe Republic, has taken over the region that was once Chicago and its suburbs.

What can I say about Revolution? Out of all the pilots that I have seen for the upcoming fall season, this is the show that shows the most potential out of the lot. With a great concept and a great creator (Eric Kripke) behind it, I have faith that the show is going to get better as it goes. Though this episode was plagued with having to set up a lot, I will say that it does lay the groundwork amicably and succeeds where so many other high concept shows have failed. However, this pilot was not as good as LOST‘s pilot nor should it be compared to that show. Though planes may have come falling out the sky in this pilot, as in LOST, the mysterious and mystic levels of mystery aren’t as captivating as LOST‘s and that’s where it is faulted. Like FlashForward, ABC’s failed attempt at doing “LOST 2.0″, the pilot cops out with a few cliche mysteries that come up from having this type of concept as your show and well, a few of them are evidenced in the trailer.

In fact, the one problem of the trailer, is that it ruined a few of the big moments that this pilot had. Firstly, the reveal at the end of the trailer is the same reveal as the end of the pilot and well, that was a huge bummer. Had that moment been kept secret, the pilot would feel a little more amped up. Secondly, the promotional imagery, the one on the stairs ruins another one of the big twists, that comes very early on in the pilot, which, again, is another huge bummer. But lastly, unlike LOST, the show does not set up enough characters for me to feel like they have a lot of stories going, now I know going forward there’s going to be new characters thrown into the mix (Daniella Alonso is a regular, but starts her work in episode 2 apparently) but I’m worried that right now, they’re going to heavily rely on the weaker mysteries to pass by some of the time. The pilot does tread into too much cliche at times but my gut tells me that they’re only doing that because of the world building that it needs to do, something I understand, and appreciate, though I hope it does not last that long.

Now, what I can say is that this show does show a lot of potential. Miles Matheson, the lead played by Billy Burke, has the potential to be a very solid male hero. He’s got the quiet demeanor to be a Dirty Harry like protagonist and Tracy Spirkados, who plays the female lead Charlie Matheson, also has some room to grow, but I think the character who could prove to be the most interesting is Zak Orth’s Aaron, he seems to be taking on a Hurley like role. I gotta admit, Hurley was one of my favorite Lost characters, and especially since Aaron is someone who, before the blackout, had quite a bit of dough. I’m a little worried that Giancarlo Esposito and Elizabeth Mitchell, two of my favorite actors, are going to be underused as the series goes as there characters seem very stereotypical and limited, so here’s hoping that with the series evolution that they’ll be given more screen time. Especially since it’s heavily implied that Mitchell’s character only appears in flashbacks (but my gut tells me a twist is due sometime in the first 13 episodes).

All in all, I believe Revolution could fill the void that LOST left as I trust that Eric Kripke and company, as long as they stay true to there vision and avoid trying to be LOST‘s full on replacement. All it needs to do is give its supporting characters things to do that are of interest and depth and it could find itself not being the next series to enter the high concept ensemble graveyard alongside failed entries The Event and FlashForward. Give this show a gander as they could be onto something.

[rate 3.5]

The pilot premieres on September 17th at 10pm on NBC.

What can I say about this one? I did not like the first one and yet, thanks to an old friend of mine, I’m now the not so proud owner of the following statement; “I saw The Expendables 2 in theaters.” What can I say about this film that you cannot already predict from the trailers that were released? Was the acting bad??? Yeah, you didn’t see that one come a mile away? Is the action good??? It’s actually underwhelming. Are the one liners are rapid fired?!? Of course they are!

(spoilers follow) The Expendables 2 follows the group as they are black mailed into doing a top secret mission for the mysterious Church (Bruce Willis) that sees them heading to Eastern Europe. However, before they can complete the mission, they are thrown for a whirlwind when one of the members of the team is brutally killed and their loot is stolen. Now, they’re on both a mission for Church and a mission of revenge as they find themselves becoming heroes in one of the most unlikely places. This is a film riddled with cliches and judging from the plot line I just provided, it shows you that there’s no ingenuity here. You’ve seen this plot a hundred times before and I know we’ll see a rehash of it down the line. For a men on a mission-vigilante-revenge tale it is not even executed all that well. The plot will get you shaking your head more then once and that’s just a big no-no in my book.

The film’s best actor is actually its youngest one in Liam Hemsworth and I cannot help but feel that he, like his brother Chris, is a future action star. The guy has great screen presence and easily held his own against all these action vets. Speaking of them, how in the hell did Jean Claude Van Damme become the most entertaining of them all?!? As Jean Vilian, he was brilliant as the film’s bad guy and I cannot help but think that he should be sticking to playing the villain and this might be his best turn since starring in JCVD. I will say that Chuck Norris’ entrance in the film was a hoot and his presence on the screen was appreciated after so many years off, but I absolutely hated that they butchered the classic “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” music to elevate his character. That really wasn’t cool.

The story of the film was really stupid though and in the end the novelty of the premise is wearing off. Not sure if I’ll be back for a third installment, but I know that these guys had enough fun to want to come back. And how can you blame them? They have nothing else going for them. Well, except for Arnie and Stallone. And maybe JCVD if he can build some momentum and stick to more comedic roles. Was this film a good bad film? Yes. Just wait for this one to hit a Redbox near you. Not worth the price of admission. Everybody in this film has done better. Everybody.

[rate 1.5]

THE BOOK OF ELI
I finally got around to watching this 2010 post-apocalyptic movie, and I wanted to like this one. I really did. Don’t get me wrong, the cinematography was great and the visual appeal was there, the casting was spot on with real talent (Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis), but when it is all said and done, this movie just wasn’t very good.

It is a film that tries to build to something great, pulling the audience through clever twists, all the while being a thought provoking idea- only it fails on all levels and I place the blame squarely on the script. This film could have been something so much more and I hate all of the potential that was wasted here. Washington, Oldman, and The Hughes Brothers have done better work. If only they kept rewriting the script to beef up the actual content maybe this film would’ve been good. As it is, it is “meh” at best and I would not recommend it.

Want to watch a post apocalyptic film? Go see something else, anything else, just don’t watch this. Not worth your or anyone else’s time, because time is more valuable then this film.

[rate 1]

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TED
This is the year’s best comedy, hand’s down. Absolutely hilarious and a instant classic. It is amazing that this type of film hasn’t been done this well, since the premise is just ripe for adaptation. Seth MacFarlane brings his a-game as a voice actor, writer, and director. Mark Wahlberg shows again that he’s a funnier actor then most. I laughed my ass off throughout the entire film and found it hard to catch my breath at times. Here’s hoping there’s a sequel.

This is a film that’s going to go down with other films of this generation as surefire classics such as The Hangover, Anchorman, Dodgeball, Knocked Up, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, amongst others. The only gripe I’d give this film is that the directing was a little rusty at times, and you could tell this was Seth MacFarlane’s first film. Other then that though, it accomplishes what it sets out to be — a laugh a minute comedy.

[rate 4.5]

You can check out our full crop of Mini-Movie Reviews by heading over to this link. Don’t forget to post below to let us know your thoughts on Ted!

Posted on August 6th, 2012 by Quantum | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Entertainment

The Walking Dead is a multi-pronged franchise, the comic book has been breaking new grounds for years and the TV show, whether you like it or hate it, pulls in the ratings. Telltale Games is infamous for its point-and-click adventures, and astounding adaptation IPs, including games based on the illustrious Back to the Future franchise, as well as a game based on the Jurassic Park franchise.

Telltale is also famous for releasing their games in episodic format, with about two hours of content in each new episode’s release, with a full game including about five through six episodes. With The Walking Dead and Telltale teaming up to release The Walking Dead: A New Day, all signs point to showstopper.

In The Walking Dead: A New Day you play as Lee Everett, a man who is on his way to jail at the start of the game. I won’t spoil much more about the game’s plot, but the game gives you a nice little bit of knowledge on Everett himself as it progresses, so that when you make conversational and reactionary choices, they feel more organic.

A New Day is a game that seeks to make you feel like your choices matter, and for the most part, it works. In 90% of the other games that give you choices, the outcome would result in a few different dialogue choices, or maybe a different color suit of armor, but that’s where A New Day changes things up. It’s this change that separates A New Day from the other games in its path, in that it tries its hardest to make choices that aren’t strictly black-and-white, good-and-bad, or righteous-and-evil. A choice to save one person might come back and bite you in the ass when you’re locked in the room with the father of the person you chose not to save.

Perhaps the biggest criticism one could give the game is that it feels too short. Sure, it’s a $5 game, but at times I feel like I’m rushing through it and it saddens me because the plot is comparable to the better parts of the comics. Other than that, the only other thing that really takes me out of the game is the voice-acting which can range from “Large Ham” territory to generally heartwarming.

All that said,  The Walking Dead: A New Day manages to make itself more than worth the $5 price-tag and wait. If you want some great episodic zombie horror, then this is where you should start. But if you want more action than talking, well head back to Day Z or Left 4 Dead, this boat’s made for plot.

Click here to buy The Walking Dead, Episode 1: A New Day

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21 JUMP STREET
This is one of those films that generally surprised me. Going in, I didn’t have high expectations. After all, Jonah Hill’s last comedy was The Sitter, but man did this movie bring the laughs. Channing Tatum is turning into the new incarnation of Mark Wahlberg, an actor known for his mostly serious movies who’s straight out awesome at comedy (but unlike Marky Mark, Channing’s actually a decent dramatic actor). There’s a ton of fun cameos in this pic, the gags are hilarious, and the movie delivers on multiple levels. Jonah Hill has shown that he can actually write a good film and I’m hoping he does more writing in the future.

Definitely a guilty pleasure film, it’s one of Jonah Hill’s best and a sequel is definitely on its way. The trailer undersells what’s likely going to be one of 2012’s best comedies.

[rate 4]

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