I’m not at all surprised that there is yet another gem on HBO. I was disappointed to hear that The Comeback has been canceled, but at least now I have Extras to fulfill my cable comedy jones. Although at times the British accents are difficult to decipher, Ricky Gervais (BBC’s The Office) and the cast are all pathetically funny as obnoxious and sometimes inappropriate movie extras.
I saw A History of Violence this weekend. The pace (slow and purposeful intermingled with bursts of very violent scenes) and ambiguous ending reminded me of In the Bedroom. Even though the title of the film makes it crystal clear that this isn’t going to be a peaceful Disney picture, the violence came as a surprise because the story and characters are so engrossing. This is one of my early favorites for an Oscar nomination or two, especially for the stellar Maria Bello.
I’ve heard good things about A History of Violence, starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Ed Harris. Director David Cronenberg’s previous films have been odd, disturbing and/or controversial (Naked Lunch and 1996′s Crash), but it appears that this one is more mainstream and the consensus is that the strong performances really drive the movie. It’s on my list of new films to see, along with The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (starring my fav Julianne Moore) and Everything is Illuminated (the directorial debut of underrated actor Liev Schreiber).
I am not a Cameron Diaz fan (don’t get me started on how she ruined Gangs of New York), but I will see In Her Shoes simply because it was written by Erin Brockovich scribe Susannah Grant and helmed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential and Wonder Boys), who is making a 360 degree turn by directing this chick flick after last conquering I will ignore Diaz and her grating laughter, and focus instead on the great Toni Collette (8 Mile. Muriel’s Wedding and About a Boy).
Thank goodness there are decent new shows keeping me company now that my regular season baseball has ended. The pilot episode of My Name is Earl made me laugh out loud, although I have a commitment to Amazing Race on Tuesdays which conflicts with Earl. I am enjoying and intrigued by Bones on FOX, which is an updated and slightly more entertaining version of The X-Files. This is Emily Deschanel’s first major role of note, and her steely blue eyes and Kathleen Turner-esque voice make for a quirky forensic anthropologist and a refreshing character. She and former Buffy star David Boreanaz share a visible onscreen chemistry, and even the purposely awkward scientist sidekicks are tolerable distractions to the science behind the show. Sidenote: Deschanel’s sister Zooey is a comedic character actress, perfectly cast as the sarcastic co-worker in both The Good Girl and Elf.
I intended to continue my Emmy analysis, but I became distracted by the unveiling of the new fall TV season. It is already blaringly obvious that I need to upgrade my TiVo because I am running out of space, taping a variety of new shows.
I don’t understand why ABC has given Alias the kiss of death by moving it opposite Survivor on Thursday nights at 8pm. Last year, Lost and Alias made for a fantastic Wednesday night combo, and I think the network has made a big mistake assuming that Lost fans will now stick around for Invasion instead. I would like to ask the suits at ABC if they made this decision after finding out that Jennifer Garner was pregnant, throwing in the towel and underestimating the strength of both her fan base and the strong Alias following. As a dedicated Survivor fan lacking the technology to watch one show while taping another, I have chosen to abandon Alias for the time being, and will begrudgingly wait until I can rent the entire season on DVD next year. In my opinion, the network is using Garner’s pregnancy as an excuse to end the show, though they will ultimately blame the demise on high production costs.
My thoughts about the season premiere of Lost are all over the map, and I’m not ready to put it all in writing. Yet. I have a whole new set of conspiracy theories and will work them out in my own head before subjecting them to you.
Please watch Arrested Development. Because so few people are. Because the writing and acting are superb. Because Jason Bateman has emerged unscathed from the days of The Hogan Family and Teen Wolf Too to become an award-winning actor with great comedic timing. Because even though Portia de Rossi needs to eat a sandwich, she is pretty damn funny. Because Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat are two of the best teen actors on television, and you will squirm and giggle in anticipation with their awkward interaction. Because Jessica Walter is ten times funnier than Doris Roberts. And because David Cross is a cringe-worthy train wreck of a character, and you will never look at jean shorts the same way again.
I will continue to ramble on in a few days, but right now I am too preoccupied with the last week of the regular baseball season.