How To Grow A Band
Oz, the wizard, seemed great and powerful indeed—until Dorothy looked behind the curtain. She found the Goldbergian machines that made a voice echo and flames leap. Certainly, she and her fellow pilgrims were helped by Oz, but I have always wondered if Dorothy regretted exposing the deus ex machina.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsAwake Review: "Ricky's Tacos" (Episode 1.7)
In “Ricky’s Tacos”, Dr. Lee, one of Michael’s two therapists, mentions the idea of pentimento, where an artist has the intention of drawing one thing, then draws over that idea with another image. Awake as a series is possibly dealing with a pentimento, since the show began as a psychological look at a man who has lost both people he loves and tries to keep them both alive, but the show seems to think that may not be enough. With the show’s second episode, “The Little Guy”, we were given the idea that maybe the accident that caused Michael’s predicament may not have been such an accident after all, but rather a conspiracy against him. We haven’t heard anything about this conspiracy since, but in this episode, the idea comes back, yet it doesn’t seem like _Awake_ is the type of show that needs to be drawn over. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity: "Origins of Vampire Mythology" (3.15)
After a large-scale theme episode like “Pillows and Blankets,” it’s nice to have a little bit of breathing room with a more normal week from Community (especially when there’s another one just waiting in the wings). But the show’s third season has hardly stepped into a classroom and has become less about what a group of Greendale students do when they see each other for class than what a group of friends does after class is over. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the default location for where the “study group” hangs out has gradually changed from an in-school location... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsUp All Night Review: "The Proposals" (Episode 1.24)
Up All Night’s steady first season came to an end last night and it was a near perfect capstone to the journey Chris and Reagan have taken since their baby changed their lives. This episode highlights what worked so well this season and most importantly the show re-writes history. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsPlayback
Part The Ring and part Hugo, Playback takes a potentially intriguing concept and punctuates it with extreme gore rather than thrilling suspense. Throw in some uninspired writing and nonsensical plot details, and you’ve got an exercise in irritation.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsModern Family Review: “Election Day” (Episode 3.19)
This week's episode, "Election Day" is the culmination of a story arc that began earlier in the season with "Door to Door" when Claire decides to run for city council after the incumbent councilman Duane Bailey (David Cross) blows off her request for a stop sign at a dangerous intersection. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsNew Girl Review: "Normal" (Episode 1.20)
For the second half of this season of New Girl, the show has refined its ability to give all of its characters worthwhile, fleshed out storylines. But sometimes, it is fun just to watch the cast screaming the names of presidents during a drinking game, while being careful not to touch the ground since of course, it is lava. Such is the spirit of “Normal”, an episode that doesn’t only give us individual storylines, but also great group moments that show just how far the writers of this freshman series have come. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsFez Review (XBLA)
In videogames, we have to interact with surfaces, and use trial and error to construct a mental model of what lies below—how high we can jump, how far we can fall. The game knows this information to an exact degree. We can only approximate. This is part of the challenge of the platformer: first you figure out where you can go, then you go there.... read more
Found in: Games, ReviewsJustified Review: “Slaughterhouse” (Episode 3.13)
The writers on Justified enjoy their episode titles. This season alone we’ve gotten an Elvis Costello song reference and a line from The Wizard of Oz. Thus, it is worth noting that the final three episodes of the season have had single word names. The meaning is clear; all the fun and games are over, this is serious business now. We had Measures then Coalition and finally tonight, Slaughterhouse. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsThe Cabin in the Woods
For a movie chock-full of twists, perhaps the biggest is that despite all appearances to the contrary, The Cabin in the Woods is a heartfelt love story. Mind you, not between any of the young and pretty college students who tempt fate at the cabin in question. No, this romance is between creators Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, and the scary-movie genre as a whole. A ménage à terror, if you will.... read more
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