After it airs: The Newsroom “We Just Decided To” Review

Jeff Daniels contemplates the news in the pilot of The Newsroom

Spoilers for the entire episode

After writing two academy award recognized scripts Aaron Sorkin returns, along with his snappy dialogue, to television. This time he again takes on the realm of media and political criticism in the latest HBO series The Newsroom. “We Just Decided To” shows promise and some concerns in which should be a good show down the road.

The first thing about the pilot that popped for me is the great build and introduction to the characters. The very “mad as hell” esque speech that opens the pilot is a great introduction to the news anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels). Until that rant McAvoy is considered the Jay Leno of the news and stays neutral so that the public will like him. Soon after his return his executive producer Don (Thomas Sadoski) and half his staff leaves. The rant, the destruction of Will’s news crew, and the return of his former lover and executive producer Mackenzie (Emily Mortimer) sparks a change in his newscast. By the end of the episode Will is a hard edge opinion driven journalist during his fresh breaking coverage of the BP oil spill.

Sorkin dialogue is always a pleasure to listen to and this show is no exception; the banter between characters is always entertaining and intelligent. There are some great lines especially throughout the first half of the episode including a line from newsroom executive Charlie who tells Don “I will beat the **** out of you I don’t care how many protein bars you eat”. Simply put Sorkin has always been great with words and here he shines again.

Another note here is the cinematic direction by Greg Mottola who delivers an absolutely enthroning visual experiences. During the beginning of the episodes shots and conversations are long and building. In the end the cuts are short and create the intensity of the Newscast (which in itself the newscast within the show is fantastic). The intensity of the final third of the episode is absolutely earned throughout the episode through interesting character building and amazing direction.

The problem with the show that may be a problem for me throughout the series is the fact that the show takes place in the near past and covers stories that were relevant only a few years ago. This gives Sorkin the power to basically give these characters the ability to have spot on news reporting and almost perfect hindsight into what is happening. The BP story that ended the show took the characters about a couple hours to research (probably not even) what might have most journalists days upon days to complete. The greatest example of this is when Mackenzie’s assistant Jim (John Gallagher Jr.) has a great streak of luck when he finds family members and roommates who work for the parties involved with the spill. It all feals like some excuse for Sorkin to make lots of political commentary and hopefully the show doesn’t go down the road of being preachy.

For the most part I really liked “We Just Decided To” and I thought it was an interesting start to a series that has great potential. I hope some of the problems don’t grow and take over the show because some of the characters and their relationships (despite them being pulled from prior Sorkin repertoire) have great potential. Ultimately the Newsroom got off to a great start and has the potential to be another good addition to the stellar HBO lineup.

So come back for more next week. For now what did the you think?

Brave Review

Merida Shooting an arrow in Brave

Brave

  

C+

A review by Frederick Cholowski

I begin this review by asking one simple question, what’s going on over at Pixar? After the mess that was Cars 2 one would expect them to bounce back and return to form in their newest original film. Unfortunately Brave is anything but a bounce back for the studio as it’s a generic, formulaic mess of an animated film that is a crushing disappointment.

Brave follows the story of a young Celtic princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) who is at odds with her mother (Emma Thompson). This is because despite her best mother’s wishes Merida does not want to become a princess nor does she want to marry one of the tenants of the many sometimes at odds tribes ruled over by Merida’s father (Billy Connolly). Merida wants to defy tradition and become a more independent warrior type woman and sets out on a small adventure that ends up finding her in deep trouble.

The main problems with this film are its narrative flow and characters. First off the film is lacking something story wise; it’s choppy, rushed and feels only like a skeleton to a potentially better story that if it had more depth could have worked. The story is incredibly predictable and the usual Pixar heart, like in Cars 2, feels unnatural and forced. This could be partially due to the fact that the main character is really bratty and annoying. Merida never comes off as strong or independent but instead feels like a character that just doesn’t do what she’s suppose to because she is spoiled by her father. This makes it very difficult to latch on to the character that the whole entire film revolves around, which is a large problem.

It’s also sad because the voice acting crew is great with what they’re given. Kelly Macdonald, despite the over the top accent, is a fantastic fit for the role she is given and does a great job with what characterization she is given. Same can be said for the supporting cast of Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly and Julie Walters amongst many, many others.  It’s sad that most of the characterization is so thin, making most of the supporting characters very close to caricatures with no depth.

If there is anything that Pixar nails in this film is the beauty of the animation. The film looks absolutely dazzling with its darker color palate and vibrant landscape. The film really does visually transport one into this world with many of the film’s best moments coming in the visual department. The score’s great with for the most part bigger bombastic tunes that help shape the landscape even more. Overall even when the writing is faltering Pixar still keeps up its immaculate visuals and audio.

Before wrapping up the review I would like to mention if there is one reason to pay and see the film is to view the amazing short before the film called La Luna. The short film still gives me hope that Pixar can bounce back from its slump of late. It’s everything that older Pixar films had heart, joy, emotions, and magic. This is the Pixar that needs to come out in their next film instead of the one that is present in the actual main feature itself.

 As I said when I reviewed Cars 2 a year ago Brave is not a terrible film it’s simply average and disappointing. It’s a mess of a narrative with little flow and a character with little likability that ends up feeling like a second rate Disney Princesses film instead of the magic and ground pushing films of Pixar’s past. Anyways all I can do is sit, wait, and hope for another year that Pixar’s next film Monster’s University will be the one that breaks them out of their now two year long slump.

Top 5 films that have some relation to birthdays

Top 5 Birthday related films

A celebratory list by Frederick Cholowski

So having just recently celebrated another birthday I decided I needed to have a little fun. So after the extensive research of about an hour and a half I have put together the top 5 films that have something to do with a birthday. Here are the rules of this list:

1           1.The movie has to be good (duh)

2           2.I have to have seen the movie (duh #2)

3           3.The movie must dedicate at least a scene to the birthday (not a brief passing comment, but if the birthday is mentioned in an extensive conversation but it is never seen it also counts)

4           4.Only one Christmas movie aloud (it’s already kind of cheating to have one so anymore and it would be extreme overload)

 5.One movie per franchise (series can be grouped together if I so choose)

Keeping those rules in mind here are the top five birthday related films. You may be slightly surprised at some of the ones I’ve managed to dig up…

            #5. Pretty much all of the Harry Potter movies

                        This one was practically a given. Some of the Harry Potter movies mention it more than others, but every June it’s good old Harry’s birthday. While the Potter films do have their ups and downs they are as a series definitely good enough to make this short list.

            #4. Toy Story

                        The other given on this list the original Toy Story’s opening revolves around the young Andy’s birthday and the new toy he receives. The opening scene is truly a great scene and it leads up to the fated meeting and eventual partnership of the two main characters of the series Woody and Buzz. The movie itself one of the legendary Pixar films so yeah it qualifies.

            #3. Die Hard

                        Yep here’s the Christmas movie that I actually like. Sure it doesn’t really matter that it’s Christmas when John McClain is attempting to stop terrorists but it is so furthermore it’s on the list. Oh and the film itself a classic action movie for the ages.

            #2. Monty Python’s Life of Brian

                        Here’s where we get shorter and stranger, but Monty Python opens on the birthday of both Jesus and Brian. Best part is that it’s not a Christmas movie so despite it being Jesus’ birthday it can still be on this list. Plus the scene it takes place in is absolutely hilarious. Oh and the movie is one of the best of the best so were good there

            #1. 2001 a Space Odyssey

                        Believe it or not 2001 a Space Odyssey has a scene where a birthday is mentioned for an extensive period of time. For those who aren’t familiar or don’t remember Dr Heyworth Floyd talks to his daughter over the phone about her birthday and her birthday party, even asking her what she would want for her birthday. Sure it’s a small detail in a very expansive film and the scene has really no bearing on the rest of the film, but it’s there so the film is on the list. It’s one of the greatest films ever made as well which lands it an easy number one slot.

So that’s it! I guess I will look into it more and eventually update the list and make it more comprehensive. One thing to take away though is that if you haven’t seen these films, go watch them (especially the top three) NOW! Oh and leave a comment on what you think is the greatest film that has birthday related themes is.

  

Prometheus Review

Michael Fassbender looking bewildered in Prometheus

Prometheus

B+

A Review by Frederick Cholowski

After a little bit of a cold streak of late (can anyone say Robin Hood) Ridley Scott returns to the genre that launched his career, Sci-fi. Both Blade Runner and Alien (which this film is a quazi-prequel to) have set people’s expectations super high for Scott’s return to the genre. While unfortunately Prometheus doesn’t live up to the legacy of his prior classics Scott still manages to deliver an intense sci-fi thriller and a solid piece of blockbuster entertainment.

The premise is fairly simple; two archeologists Dr Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Dr Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) have found similar markings written by different ancient civilizations. They embark on a journey to the only system that seems to match the ones found in the carvings in a ship called Prometheus. The ship is run by an emotionless android Dave (Michael Fassbender) and is moderated by corporate stickler Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron). They soon land onto a mysterious planet, looking for keys to the creation of humans, only to have disaster strike.

Where Prometheus falters is in the human characters. All of the human characters in this film are flat and uninteresting. I never cared for any of their non alien related problems and I even found myself zoning out a little during very small character portions of the first 30 minutes. This doesn’t help in some of the earlier action sequences either as when most of these characters are in peril it could be hard to care.

That being said when Prometheus is in full on sci-fi thriller mode it is near perfect. These sequences are intense and wrenching and provide many moments of fear and tension. As well the mystery itself is an interesting, multi layered investigation that did manage to pull me in. Well some of the events could have been explained a little better the little things never managed to take me out of the overall atmosphere of the film.

Forget Lisbeth Salander (which when someone in the film called Dr Shaw Elizabeth instantly came to mind) Noomi Repace gives a different type of strong female lead (think more Ripley less Goth). Despite not given much character wise, Rapace is solid in the role of the Ripley replacement. Logan Marshall-Green is the most annoying of the bunch as his character seems to always be complaining or doing something stupid. Charlize Theron is fine as the mean corporate executive with money and safety on her mind. The most interesting of the bunch goes to Michael Fassbender’s Dave whose shady intentions, backed by the very solid performance from Michael Fassbender, make for an interesting emotionless character and arguably the most developed person in the entire film.

What Prometheus lacks in human characters it certainly makes up for in the visual and audio department. This film is absolutely gorgeous throughout and every shot taken with extreme care and provides for some great jaw dropping visual moments. When the tension and action kicks in Scott uses the right amount of close ups and medium shots that give the scenes perfect amounts of intensity. The score is ominous as it begins the film with a slightly wondrous theme before having the theme slowly diminish throughout the film in change for a darker heavier theme. The score is fantastic and adds overall to the atmosphere of the film.

 

While it’s not as strong as prior Scott films Prometheus does bring it when it comes to pure Sci-fi horror. Intense, gut wrenching sequences bring out some of the best of Scott’s filmmaking that, while hindered by the lack of strong human characters, do provide for one solid summer blockbuster.

TV Time: Mad Men Season 5 Review

The surviving partners check out an expansion on Mad Men

Mad Men Season 5

A+

A Review by Frederick Cholowski

SPOILER ALERT FOR ALL OF SEASON 5          

After a long break due to extended negotiations the much anticipated fifth season of what many consider to be television’s best show has come and gone. Sterling Cooper Draper Price has grown and changed into a much different place since we last left it becoming an even less moral place to work. Mad Men season five ramped up the big moments and delivered yet again another near perfect season of television. 

 Don (John Hamm) opens season five in a happy place; he loves his new wife Megan (new regular Jessica Paré), he gets to see said wife all day at work, and he doesn’t have to do much at said workplace. Peggy (Elizabeth Moss) is trying to expand her career into something fantastic and she even at times attempts to be like Don (which knowing how the perceptions of women where in the 1960’s that didn’t go so well sometimes). Roger (John Slattery) has to deal with a crumbling second marriage and a crumbling importance at the work place. Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) is dealing with the “I’m not happy with what I have even though I have everything” syndrome. Finally Lane (Jared Harris) is well… We’ll talk about him in a second.

There was a lot to go through this season so bear with me. I’m going to start with Megan. Many people’s complaints of this season that it was Megan focused and that some people would have liked to see more of the other characters around the office instead of Don’s second wife. For me Megan’s regularity was just fine and she filled the mold quite well. This is due to the great work of Jessica Paré who turned the character from Don’s former secretary to the complicated woman she is by the end of the season. Overall Megan’s character never hurt the flow of the show even when she was out of the office mid season. 

 The other main difference this season was that the show wore it’s themes on it sleeve and felt a little more like television. Mad Men in the past felt more like a series of short films which had subtle themes that were connected throughout the season; this season’s themes where much more obvious and were hammered in through many different means. This wasn’t a problem to me for the most part unless the symbolism and themes were really obvious. The worst offender of these was the finale which pushed the Don’s rotten tooth subject really really hard, to the point of telling us literally that Don was the rotten one. Again for the most part the storylines worked and gave us some of the biggest and best moments in series history.

Speaking of, wow a lot of was big and amazing things happened this season! Some of the best episodes of the entire series were here including “Far Away Places”, “The Other Woman”, and “Commissions and Fees”. First off “Far Away Places” was the one of the “different” episodes that went through three different perspectives on the same day. It was emotional, powerful, and feature Roger Sterling on LSD! Roger Sterling on LSD alone is one of my all time favorite moments on the show and was an amazing turning point for the character. “Commissions and Fees” featured poor Lane Price committing suicide after having financial troubles (which is one of those come out of nowhere “TV” stories of this season that worked) in what was a fantastically ominous and emotional episode (that had one of the funniest, and darkest, pieces of comedy of the season when Lane tried to kill himself in the Jaguar and failed because it wouldn’t start after it had been touted as unreliable all season). 

The best and most controversial of the bunch was “The Other Woman”. In the episode Joan committed prostitute like actions and slept with a Jaguar exec to get the account and to gain a partnership. The sticking point for most was that some of the actions taken by the characters throughout the episode were acting uncharacteristically and it was hard to buy Joan going through with it. I bought every single second and between that storyline (which despite the critics no one questions the way it was executed) and Peggy leaving SCDP it was one of the all time best Mad Men episodes and one of the best hours of TV this year.

Another thing I would like to mention was some of the amazing end of the episode montages this year. The two most prominent ones were the “Tomorrow Never Knows” montage and the final montage of the season to “You Only Live Twice”.  “Tomorrow Never Knows” was awesome because Mad Men use a Beatles song and worked in the frustration of Don watching his wife leave the office into her new life of acting and his frustrations of not being in with the hippest fads. “You Only Live Twice” was amazing due to the emotional ends of all the characters and that fantastic shot of Don walking away from the commercial set (and in a way from his happy married life with Megan).

When we leave Don at the end of season five he’s hit on by the young lady on the bar who asks him “Are you alone?”.  The scene is heartbreaking and ties up the season in a nice bow. Don feeling alone in his marriage now that Megan left the office, Pete feeling alone despite having everything, Peggy feeling alone despite her happiness of moving up in the world, Lane feeling alone and stranded and eventually killing himself over it, and Roger taking LSD for the second time on his own. All the themes despite being bigger and more obvious were wrapped up in what only could be described as another amazing season of one of television’s greatest drama.

Oh and all the other great moments Pete getting beat by Lane, Joan dumping her rapist husband, and Don putting the pressure on with the fantastic pre Jaguar speech all there and amazing as well.