dreamloom

Category: Reviews

Deeper, analytical pieces on shows and episodes.

  • Burn Notice: “Do No Harm”

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    Michael’s old toys. Most of them are blown up or taken apart, but I bet we can find a few good ones.

    My normal conceit when doing a Burn Notice review is to do a short recap in the character Michael took on for the scam, but I’m not feeling Donny ((He’s a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.)) so you’re stuck with me tonight. That’s probably more appropriate for this more serious, straight-ahead episode anyway. This one was raw and more emotional than we’ve ever seen before.

    The Recap

    Mikey go boom. When we last left Michael Westen, he was diving from his landing inches ahead of a shockwave. Tonight: the aftermath.

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  • Preview of Trust Me

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    On Monday, January 26th, TNT expands its stable of original programming with the premiere of the Warner Horizon production, Trust Me. Starring TV vets Tom Cavanagh and Eric McCormack as best friends and creative partners at fictional Chicago ad agency Rothman Greene & Mohr, Trust Me is a light drama ((I won’t call it a “crama”, no matter what DMc says.)) about modern advertising.

    Here’s the thing: I want to like this show and I’m going to give it four or five or even six episodes to grow on me. Creators Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny have a combined 20 years of experience in the Chicago ad world, and they and co-EPs Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin have proven they know how to put together a tight drama on a cable budget with The Closer. But…

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  • Leverage: “The Mile High Job”

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    Forty-four minutes is not enough.

    When you bring the always delightful Sara Rue on as a guest star – freaked out to fly and the target of a Very Bad Man – you need to give her some room to breathe. ((Or hyperventilate.)) Where was the awkward flirting scene with Eliot? Where was the confused three-person conversation with Parker and Hardison where she can’t see or hear Hardison? I wanted more of Sara Rue. Otherwise, this was yet another solid, entertaining episode.

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  • Flight of the Conchords: “A Good Opportunity”

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    I did a little scientific research with myself last night, and found that the absolute right way to end a weekend that started with a new and deeply disturbing episode of Battlestar Galactica is to sit down with a couple of screwballs on Flight of the Conchords. Actually let’s raise that “couple” to “three,” because without ol’ Ginger Balls, at least half the screws would be missing. In other news, Bret still looks like mama’s little lost bear cub and Jemaine, while sexy as all hell, still carries himself like Frankenstein. I’m sorry, but it’s true. And I’m sorry again, but all the riches of this show are in the details, so this ended up as more of a recap than a review. What can I say? Let’s not worry about semantics and also, life is hard.

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  • Battlestar Galactica: Sometimes a Great Notion

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    So. What were you expecting? Some peace? Sunshine and lollipops? Rainbows? Of course not. What we got is what we go for in the first place: to have Ronald D. Moore and his small, brilliant band of fiends pluck out our collective eyeballs and hand them to us like so many hard-boiled eggs (oops! Season 3 spoiler alert!). And then to snatch back those eggs and dice them up into little tiny pieces right before our one remaining eye(s). (I apologize; that analogy didn’t work at all.)

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  • Friday Night Lights: “I Knew You When”

    So much joy in Mudville tonight. FNL returned. Pushing Daisies returned. I’ve only got one more day at my job. All in all, a pretty good day.

    And you know what? My first day at my new/old job on Monday won’t be nearly as bad as Tami’s.

    For those without DirecTV (and those who are out for the next week because some nimrod screwed up,) don’t read the rest. For those who got to see the episode legally or otherwise, more below the fold.

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  • The United States of Tara

    taraI’ve spent a lot of time thinking about The United States of Tara. I’m struck by the show’s potential. The pilot is written by Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody, and directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl). Did I mention it also has the hand of Stephen Spielberg on it? And with Toni Collette playing the lead, The United States of Tara could be a TV masterpiece.

    Tara Gregson, played by Collette, suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), otherwise known as multiple personality disorder. She also has two children, Kate and Marshall, and has been married to Max (John Corbett) for 17 years. While watching the movie, I was reminded of the first line of Anna Karenina.

    “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

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  • Leverage: “The Wedding Job”

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    Oh hell, you give me Dan Lauria ((Interesting – to me and no one else – sidenote: Dan Lauria went to college and played football with my high school coach. Coach was the class advisor for my girlfriend’s class and got Kevin Arnold’s dad as their graduation speaker. He gave a fantastic speech that managed to incorporate Bruce Willis and Ed O’Neill. Afterwards? The girlfriend told me Lauria was a hottie. That was weird.)) and Nicole Sullivan as comedy standins for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco? Point Leverage. Add to that a script from Chris Downey loaded with subtle character humor and a slick turn behind the camera from Jonathan Frakes ((Number 1 calls the shots on *this* enterprise, bub.)) and you’ve got another solid hour from the gang.

    Considering this episode was the third one shot, I was pretty pleased with the smoothness that ended up on screen.

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  • Leverage: “The Stork Job”

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    One of the complaints some critics have laid on Leverage is its reliance on common settings for a con/scam/mission show: bank robbery, horse track, etc. Personally, I not only find those locales comforting, but believe that specifically avoiding those settings would be unrealistic. These are thieves, after all. But tonight breaks the mold in a big way and goes somewhere I don’t believe any heist show has gone before.

    My knowledge of the strife and suffering in the countries formerly composing Yugoslavia is sketchy, mostly consisting of what I’ve gleaned from features about the region’s basketball tradition. In fact, if not for tall men with names like Vlade and Drazen and Peja, I might not be able to remember the names of all the republics that split off from Yugoslavia. The fighting during the ’90s was intense and the toll is still being felt to this day. I don’t know how common the practice of using orphanages to front for gunrunners is, but there are certainly enough orphans in Belgrade to make it feasible. (more…)

  • 10 Items or Less – Good, Goofball Humor

    Episode 301 - Turkey BowlingI have to be honest. I remember watching advertisements of 10 Items or Less back in 2006. I was not interested. The commercials reminded me of Saved By The Bell – a show I was addicted to as a kid but hate as an adult. Now that I’m all grown up, the stupid, lame jokes of Saved By the Bell make me wish I could shoot myself instead of enduring another half hour of Zach and gang. So, to avoid being suicidal, I didn’t tune in for 10 Items. After watching “Turkey Bowling”, the 10 Items or Less season premiere, I realize how misleading marketing can be and regret not giving the show a chance 2 years ago.

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