2014 Movie Preview: #25 - Gone Girl

Release date: October 3

Plot summary: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

My take: I did not originally have this on my list because I did not read the Gillian Flynn novel that this is based off of. But then I read that David Fincher was directing this and Ben Affleck was starring. That is enough of a one-two punch to get me hooked. Given that the plot sounds very suspenseful, I just might have to give the book a read over the summer before this movie comes out next fall.

2014 Movie Preview: #27 - The Judge

Release date: October 10

Plot summary: The film finds Downey as an attorney returning to his hometown for his mother's funeral. Although Duvall's character is the town judge, he's also the only suspect in his wife's murder and Downey's character must balance years of estrangement and emotional distance in his effort to uncover the truth about what really happened.

My take: It is tough to get a real read on this film yet. It's placement on my list is primarily because of the strong cast. It will be enjoyable to see Robert Downey Jr. in a non-franchise film for a change. The story has somewhat of a Bernie vibe to me, even though this one is completely fiction. If this is half as good as that movie was, this will be a real treat.

RBR: Broken City (Quick hits)

Talk about a dreadfully dull film. You would think that a film starring Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, and Catherine Zeta Jones would crackle with life, but this nearly put me to sleep. About the only thing keeping me awake was trying to wrap my head around the numerous plot holes and mistakes that are found in the story. Like Admission, we see a lot of characters doing dumb things that make no sense to anyone with half a brain. I was hoping for some decent police/political thriller but this material isn't even worth doing on a fourth rate Law & Order spinoff. Rating: **

New Fall TV review: Sleepy Hollow

I did not get a chance to post my review for this one last week after its premiere, but now that I have had a chance to watch the second episode, I feel I can better articulate my thoughts. This is a high concept new drama on FOX that deals with characters from the Washington Irving story being brought into modern day. After decapitating the brute that would become the Headless Horseman, Ichabod Crane suddenly emerges from a cave in 2013 believing he is still in the era of the Revolutionary War. His arrival coincides with a string of murders by someone who seems to have no head. Crane teams up with a local police woman in order to figure out what is going on. The premise offers some intrigue and the pilot does a good job of establishing story elements that will enable the show to work as a continuing series. However as the show settled in for episode 2, it became apparent that this show will fall into a lot of the same traps that so many other shows suffer from. The second episode became a "freak of the week" episode where Crane and the police woman have to hunt down a witch that has been brought back to life while getting a few more clues regarding the overarching mythology of the show. A show like Fringe started out in a similarly, but found a way to rise above the procedural setup to deliver a more richer story with characters that we cared about. I do not see Sleepy Hollow having the same success. The relationship between Crane and the officer have not done much for me and they have not done a suitable job of establishing any other interesting supporting characters. Even if the show's mythology remains well written, I just don't know how invested I am in hearing why the four horseman of the apocalypse have suddenly chosen now to wreck havoc on society. Given that my TV time is not infinite, I can't see myself staying involved in this ghost story. Verdict: Worth watching for a few episodes, but ultimately removed from the DVR lineup

Fall TV Report: Freshman shows

I am WAY behind on a lot of my blogging. There's several things I could post, but I'll begin with a discussion of the few new shows that have caught my eye.

Elementary - I'm a big mystery fan and there's no greater sleuth than Sherlock. He's very hot right now with the Robert Downey Jr. film franchise and a successful BBC series as well. This latest entry, starring Johnny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as a female Watson has not been the slam dunk that I had hoped for and I think part of the problem is the network its on. CBS has a slew of succesful shows, but they are all very familiar and routine. In the first few episodes, the stories told haven't been anything that couldn't have been used on CSI, or NCIS, or The Mentalist, or... shall I go on? I want more brain-testing mysteries and more idiosyncrasies on display by Holmes. I do have some hope that things can improve as this past week's episode was the first one that felt like Holmes and Watson were an actual team instead of making Liu completely superfluous to the story. True Holmes fans will likely be disappointed, but for everyone looking for another solid crime series, this will do just fine. It's been picked up for a full season so look for this to stick around for a while.

Go On - It's the lone new sitcom that has appealed to me in the least and had any success (moderate though it may be) in the ratings. The premise for the show (Matthew Perry attends weekly group therapy sessions to deal with the death of his wife) is relatively fresh and unique. It's also has an amazingly talented cast of comedic actors including Julie White, Brett Gelman, John Cho, Bill Cobbs, and a few others who you'd likely recognize if you saw them. But for all that this show has going for it, I feel like it really hasn't maximized its potential. Some shows struggle initially until it finally finds its voice. I'm hoping that's the case here. I enjoy seeing these characters, I just don't laugh as much as with some of my other favorite sitcoms. Given the lack of other options, I'll stick with this one for now.

Revolution - I had some serious reservations about this one. I've been burned by one too many Lost clones in recent years and feared I would do the same with this one. Shows like this have great setups and no follow through. Then the audience erodes and the series gets cancelled before the viewers who stuck around can get any answers. Well I'm happy to report that thus far this show has bucked that trend. From a viewer standpoint, it's been a huge hit for NBC and has already received a full season order. From my perspective, the show is far from perfect, but solid enough to have captured my interest. Instead of having everything hinge on one singular mystery, the writers have created a lot of different stories that are each intriguing. I'm also pleased that I don't really hate any of the characters to the degree that I want them killed off each episode. The show has so far also done a decent job of keeping the story moving so that you feel like you learn or accomplish something new each episode. I think the success this show has seen will allow the people behind this show to have the confidence to continue to move forward at an appropriate pace and deliver quality entertainment that can last beyond just one season.

Those are the only new shows that I'm regularly watching. Last Resort is one that I still hope to catch, but I'll have to do so through On Demand because I have too many other things airing at the same time that it does. I watched the premiere of Animal Practice and it is disappointingly awful. Everyone else seemed to agree because NBC has already cancelled it. I've seen parts of The Mindy Project and Ben and Kate, but neither of those seemed to be targeted for me. If you've seen any other new show, feel free to chime in and offer your thoughts.