Looking Forward To...

Before Midnight
Release: May 24, 2013
Distributor: Sony Classics
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

HIMYM: Meeting the Mother and Looking Back/Ahead

First things first, the mother has been met. We have met her (even if Ted has not). She is no longer faceless and unknown. We saw her face and everything! And to my absolute delight, the mother is played by Tony nominated Once star Cristin Milioti. Say what you will about the rocky past few seasons or the anticipated final season coming up, but as a long-time fan of the show just seeing the titular mother's face in the season finale was super cathartic. I liken it to Deb finally finding out about Dexter or the Oceanic 6 escaping the island. Plus the casting really was quite pitch perfect, pun intended. We know Milioti has musical chops which was a prerequisite and her hometown vibe (born and raised in New Jersey and studied acting in NYC) adds a touch of charm and realism. It must have been quite daunting for the show's producers and casting directors to cast this role, but so far (even with very little to base it on), I think they'd made the perfect choice. Of course, it's going to be all about the chemistry with the cast especially Josh Radnor, but I'm confident it'll work.

With her reveal, however, all everyone wanted to talk about after the finale was next season, the show's final. I guess that makes sense, but it's also worth briefly talking about the show's penultimate season. With the show's future still uncertain early on, we got early confirmation that Barney and Robin are wedding-bound and that Ted will be meeting the mother that same night. While that flash-forward is par for the course of the show's time shifting capabilities, it did two things that hampered the season early on. First, it confirmed for the audience that we wouldn't be meeting the mother until at least the finale (which ended up being true) and second, it confirmed that Robin's and Barney's current relationships were doomed and thus our investment in those characters quickly plummeted. The show tried to wink to the audience by having an "Autumn of Breakups" arc, but instead it largely felt like the show running on fumes and lazily checking things off a checklist.

The show found new life when Barney proposed to Robin. The way he had to manipulate her to get her to say yes is... questionable, but the moment itself was quite wonderful. February sweeps saw the show continue it's momentum starting with the super fun Robin Sparkles Canada Variety Hour episode and ending with the inventive re-introduction of The Captain. It all fell apart a bit towards the end as the writers clearly demonstrated their absolute cluelessness on how to handle the Robin/Barney pre-wedding journey. He's still using his playbook and more of a horndog than ever while Robin is questioning her decision and might still be pining for Ted. The writers did show us how perfectly fit these two characters are in the finale, but why then pointlessly show them so at odds for a good chunk of the season especially after they got engaged? And what is the point of drudging up Ted/Robin again especially when he's mere days away from meeting his one true love?

So as you can see, there were enough things for me to complain about, but I do love to focus on the positives... Seth Green guest starring, the entire Mike Tyson plot line, the "Time Travelers" episode especially Radnor heartbreaking final scene, Karate Kid actor cameos, and to bring it all back... seeing the mother, with her cool boots and yellow umbrella. With regards to the mother and the final season, the creators have confirmed that the entire season will take place during that one weekend of Barney and Robin's wedding, 56 hours. We'll supposedly get to learn more about the mother and see how she meets each character before she meets Ted in the series finale. Like many people, I was upset when I heard about this news at first, but I've come around to appreciating the daring structure for the season and hope there'll at least be some flashbacks or flash-forwards to fill in some blanks. It may sound like I'm being yet again defensive for this show, but one of the unique elements of this show (and one of the reason why I loved it so) is its willingness to shake up its storytelling structure. So it's quite possible that this final season could very well be a tour de force. At the very least, the show's most frustrating element aka its lack of direction/destination has been essentially eliminated since the endgame is set and nigh. And I bet it's going to be legend, wait for it...

Looking Forward To...

Star Trek Into Darkness
Release: May 16, 2013
Distributor: Paramount
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Alice Eve, and Benedict Cumberbatch

Super Excited About Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I usually don't talk about new TV shows coming up in the fall until the end of summer, but from what I've been seeing and hearing, there's going to be tons of new TV for me to obsess over and it's no shock that I'm already going gaga for Marvel's first TV show aka Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which was officially picked up over the weekend and earlier today it was announced that it will anchor ABC's Tuesday nights in the fall at 8pm.

It was pretty easy for me to love the show without seeing any footage. First, Joss Whedon created it and will direct and co-write at least the pilot. No need for me to re-hash my absolute love for all things Whedon especially on the TV side. Second, I loved The Avengers so having the world live on in a television series is A-OK with me and while it's highly doubtful they'll be able to get Hollywood's superhero A-listers to make cameos, it's not an impossibility either. Third, I'm a sucker for super-powered humans. I grew up with and loved the X-Men cartoons as a young boy and enjoyed Heroes a bit longer than most people, so this show is right in that same wheelhouse. Finally, they managed to resurrect Agent Coulson and hired Ming-Na for a lead role.

Thankfully when footage was finally available in the form of a teaser trailer that debut on Sunday during the Once Upon A Time finale, it pretty much confirmed my initial excitement for the project. Everything became even clearer with the full trailer ABC released earlier today giving us a better understanding of the show's set up as well as more evidence of that witty dialogue Whedon is known for. See the full trailer below:


Yeah... so basically, I'm counting down the days until it's fall so I can watch this. And certainly there'll be plenty of people like me who will feel the same way. The real test for this kind of show is what they do after the high-budgeted much-hyped-about first episode.

Mother, Spy, Shield Maiden

Happy Mothers Day! I've been looking for an excuse to briefly talk about two freshman cable shows I saw and really liked these past few months. Today's holiday worked well for my purposes as they both feature two butt-kicking mothers who is also a spy or a shield maiden respectively. And so...

The first show is FX's riveting drama The Americans about KGB agents living in secret as a married couple with kids in the height of the Cold War. I've posted my thoughts on its surprisingly solid pilot a few months ago and the show really blossomed from there anchored by wonderful performances by leading actors Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell (who play the husband-wife duo of spies) and Noah Emmerich (the FBI agent neighbor). The supporting cast is not too shabby as well led by Emmy winner Margo Martindale as their handler and promising newcomers Alison Wright and Annet Mahendru. There's much to love about the show other than its superb cast, from its subtle period styling to its rocking score, but it's its ability to balance the cool spy stuff with its fake wigs, assassination attempts, and crazy gadgets, with the family/personal lives of Phillip and Elizabeth that will make me miss the show until it comes back for its second season. And since it is mother's day, I have to separately commend Keri Russell for what she is doing with her character. As Elizabeth Jennings she is the most captivating I have ever seen her on screen, seemingly cold and calculating, but damaged and longing all at the same time. All of that while sporting those mom jeans.

Speaking of strong women characters on TV, how about Lagertha Lothbrok? Who is she, you ask? If so, then you're certainly one of the few people who didn't check out History's Vikings series, which like The Americans, pleasantly surprised me right out of the gate and continued to impress as its first season unfolded. Lagertha Lothbrok, played wonderfully by Katheryn Winnick, is wife of the main character Ragnar Lothbrok, a strong Viking warrior with dreams of sailing West and becoming king of his tribe. While the series isn't about her at all (after all the series is about men doing "manly" Viking-y things like wars, invasions, and kidnappings), the show wisely doesn't make her subservient to Ragnar. This is in keeping with actual history as Viking women actually handled the finances and were in charge of the farm when their husband's were off to war. In fact they too fought in battles which they made a part of Lagertha's character. One of my favorite things about the pilot was Lagertha insisting she's still a kick-ass shield maiden despite of being a full-time mother at that moment. In any case, I'm hoping her role will increase next season, but even if for some reason it does not, I still enjoy many things about the show, most notably the totally gay subtext between Ragnar and Athelstan aka the English monk he kidnapped in the second episode. It helps that both are played by the very handsome Travis Fimmel and George Blagden respectively. But aside from wanting to see them kiss (or more), their evolving relationship with each other and their varying degrees of acceptance of each other's belief systems and other aspects of their differing cultures has truly been a series highlight for me.

With regards to Emmy Awards, I think if voters take The Americans seriously, Russell has a chance despite the ridiculously competitiveness of her category filled with other amazing actors playing mothers or mothers-to-be (Julianna Margulies, Michelle Dockery, Madeline Stowe, Connie Britton, Emmy Rossum) and non-mothers (Claire Danes, Elisabeth Moss, etc.) alike. It won't be easier for Winnick in the supporting category and in fact it might be even more difficult with her show a bit too out there for the Emmys. But I'm kind of okay with that since I'd want to give it two other actresses who play mothers on TV, Christina Hendricks and Anna Gunn. That is if the voters don't give it to the grand matriarch of Downton Abbey again played by Dame Maggie Smith. Happy Mother's Day!

Red Carpet: Brokeback Blondes at the Met Gala

Awards season was a couple months ago, but the annual Costume Institue Gala held at the Met always manages to bring back the who's who of Hollywood decked out in their best (and usually crazy) fashion. This year provided more opportunity for crazy fashion as the theme was "PUNK: Chaos to Couture." Other sites like this one and this one have already covered the all of the highs and lows that took place on Monday, but I wanted to highlight just two...

Recent Oscar winner Anne Hathaway looked absolutely fierce in Valentino and shocked everyone by debuting her new blonde locks. Odder still, she actually completely pulls off the new hair and thus the entire look. Not as fierce, but still super pretty was her Brokeback Mountain co-star...

Michelle Williams was chic in a black Yves Saint Laurent dress. It's not supremely memorable, but the unique purse and her asymmetrical hair gives the whole look its much needed punkness. I wished she had gone crazier, but sometimes it's just nice seeing her out and about.

No silly "who wore it best?" nonsense. I was just randomly thinking about Brokeback Mountain and saw these two looking beautiful at this event.

Joss Whedon Responds to Deadline Report

Deadline recently released a report about the seemingly tense behind-the-scene negotiations many of the Avengers actors are undertaking with Marvel and Disney with regards to a bump in their pay for the sequel. It's hardly surprising that money is causing some tension. It's Hollywood after all. Plus with The Avengers raking in $1.5 billion in worldwide gross last year, everyone is clamoring to get a bigger piece of that pie.

In any case, part of the report is a brief interview with Avengers mastermind Joss Whedon, who Deadline says has "an astronomical $100M" exclusive production deal with Disney/ABC, to get his thoughts on the whole thing. Of course, today Whedon took to his own website at Whedonesque to get one thing straight:

Hi guys.

I was going to let it slide, but I've got this sour taste in my mouth. (Mmmm, lemonade!). Some facts are not facts. I'm not going to go into the whole thing, but jeepers, I'm not getting $100 mil on Avengers 2. If I were, I would come on this site and laugh and laugh and laugh. I'm not making Downey money. I'm making A LOT, which is exciting. I'm not pretending to be a poor farmer, an Everyman, an ANYman. But that number is nuts. A few other things about me that have been "reported" that people should take with a grain of salt:

That I throw wild Hollywood parties where everyone is naked and dancing and wild and I remember to serve enough snacks.

That I can get a movie greenlit by sighing and staring into the middle distance.

That I ate a unicorn and made it winter for three years.

That I "can write."

Well, that's a load off. Sorry to get so personal -- the whole thing's a bit tawdry. But honestly, it bugged me. I'm off for a nice juicy steak. There's a place downtown that does it with rosemary butter, it tastes just like unico -- like a steak.

BYE-ee! J.

Oh, Joss. He does always know the right/funny thing to say, doesn't he?

Looking Forward To...

The Great Gatsby (2013)
Release: May 10, 2013
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clark, and Tobey Maguire

Birthday Boy: Henry Cavill

Jersey boy Henry Cavill will soon play the all-American superhero Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent on the big screens next month in Man of Steel. Of course, he was actually born in Jersey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom 30 years ago on this day. Happy Birthday!

Apparently there was a small controversy about getting a non-American actor to play Superman, but I sure as hell am not complaining. I mean, have you seen him?

Summer Begins as Marvel Launches Phase 2

Looks like that whole "posting at least once a day" lasted a whopping two days. That sounds about right. Anyways, even though summer doesn't officially begin until mid-June, the summer movie season begins this weekend with Iron Man 3, the first Marvel film to open since their massive hit The Avengers last year. Iron Man 3's release also marks the beginning of Phase 2 for Marvel which will also include sequels to Thor, Captain America, and of course The Avengers as well as new films Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man all slated for the next couple of years. Entertainment Weekly recently laid out Marvel's plans and provided some sneak peeks on what's to come including Whedon's "return" to TV this fall in the highly anticipated Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. whose pilot episode is written and directed by the man himself.

To say I'm excited for most of these films (and one TV show) would be an understatement. I've just really enjoyed how Marvel has miraculously pulled off this amount of success and critical/audience goodwill despite not having Spider-Man or the X-Men in their rosters. Indiewire credits some of this success to the calculated risks taken by the studio in who they hire to helm their projects. Though do we think then that they're due for a wrong move soon (No, Iron Man 2 doesn't really count and neither does The Incredible Hulk... maybe)? I'm trying not to think of that inevitability, but I am concerned about how they'll pull off Guardians of the Galaxy. There's a freaking machine gun-toting talking raccoon in the film! Good luck with that one!

With every film though, Marvel's world will get bigger and hopefully it won't be too big for the studio to manage. Recently, they've been able to retain rights of a few other characters such as Punisher, Daredevil, Blade, and Ghost Rider, but to postulate on whether or not these characters will be included in a still in-flux Phase 3 would still be too soon. Frankly, I just long for the day when all of Marvel's properties are back to them though that's more of a pipe dream with Sony and FOX currently shooting their own anticipated sequels to The Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men: First Class. Too bad. I really want to see the Hulk going up against the Juggernaut or Spider-Man spinning his webs in Asgard or something.

ETA: Apparently today is also Free Comic Book Day. I didn't even realize until after I had posted this. Go figure!