Veronica Mars

Season two of Veronica Mars was pretty good. It had a lot of twists and turns and the most shocking season premiere of any show this season. The mystery of the bus crash was a strong though line for the season. I did figure out who the bad guy was a few episodes earlier.

I was heartbroken when Duncan went away but, it was okay in a way because it showed that no matter how hard Logan tries he'll never truly have Veronica's heart. Very intriguing that at the end Duncan had Aaron Echoll's killed. I was really pissed off that Rob decided to go that routt and let Aaron get away with murder but at least he got his in the end and I don't have to ever watch him again. And note to Rob Thomas don't ever do a courtroom sequence again unless you are actually going to put the time into making it right.

Man that was a pretty intense few minutes there wondering if Veronica's dad really was on the plane that Beaver blew up. I kept telling myself that they wouldn't get rid of him but, then again it seems that anything is truly possible on this show.

I still don't know how I feel overall about the Jackie character. Talk about a love/hate thing with her. While most of the time I hated her she did have a few good moments. And while I knew she wasn't going to Paris I did not anticipate her having a kid. That was an interesting little twist they gave to her leaving.

I love that Mac got so much more screen time this year and really, really, hope that they have the money to make her a serious regular next season.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how well the three extended mysteries work out instead of the one big mystery for the season.

And even though it was good season and Duncan will always be Veronica's true love I was still pissed off at her being with Logan at the end of the season. She is to good a character and to strong a woman to put up with a guy like that. Logan is the worst kind of person and she is so much better than him. Not to mention that Jason Dohring, the actor who plays Logan, really bugs me.

Here's to a hopefully stellar 3rd season, and better ratings.

The Notorious Bettie Page

There really isn't a lot to say about this movie because there wasn't a lot there. I had seen a preview for it back when I saw Imagine You and Me and it seemed pretty interesting plus Gretchen Mol and Lili Taylor was a nice bonus.

Really I don't know what was up with this movie. It actually was a rather interesting movie. A nice look at societies views on sex back then. It was interesting how the congressional hearings where all about the bondage and punishment in the movies Bettie and the others were making. The reason it was so interesting is that all the films were just women and it's intersting how back then they didn't give a hoot about the girl-on-girl nature of the movies just the S&M stuff. Or at least that's how it was presented in this particular movie.

One thing I didn't like about this movie was that it was in black and white. I had the same problem with Good Night, and Good Luck. Yes it took place in a time when movies where in black and white but peoples lives weren't so there's no reason for the entire movie to be in black and white. And I really don't like it when people make black and white movies with random periods of color.

Also one of the biggest issues for me was that while I did learn a lot of stuff about Bettie Page there wasn't a lot going on with the character, it didn't give Gretchen much to do. She had a couple of moments that really let her show glimpses of what she is capable of but really all the real work seemed to go to the supporting cast. I just found that very odd and rather disappointing because I was really hoping this would be a movie that would remind Hollywood of just how good Gretchen is. Hopefully it will at least get people to realize that she isn't the diva she some how got made out to be years ago.

Because of the theater I had to see this movie at I had no choice but to pay full price even though it was an afternoon movie. While it wasn't a real waste of money I would have prefered to pay matinee price to see it.

Just My Luck

This movie is what it is, nothing more nothing less and that's why it works. It was very funny and I loved every minute of it. And yes I am a huge Lindsay Lohan fan so even if it did suck it would be worth it for me. Seriously though as romantic comedies go it was a fun twist the whole luck thing and that's why it was so fun. Romantic comedies with a whimsical twist really appeal to me. I liked how it wasn't really guy meets girl loses girl and spends the rest of the movie finding away to get her back or girl meets guy loses guy and spends the rest of the movie finding away to get her back. Sure the luck thing was a bit over the top with how lucky she was and then how lucky he was when he "stole" her luck but it was still fun. And that's really the point of romantic comedies they are just fun and playful if you don't like that aspect of movies then don't go.

Lindsay was great as always. I don't care what anyone says girl has talent and perfect comic timing. This movie also showed how good she is at physical comedy. The supporting case was good as well. Her love interest Chris Pine was much better than I expected him to be. The only problem with him was really in the pubplicity of the movie. Romantic comedies really need a semi-big to big name star in both leads. So while he was good the movie would have been better served with someone more note worthy in the male lead.


Spoiler Alert:


Just a few notes about some of the funner plot moments. One of my favorite things about the move was the full proof way of telling if she had kissed the right man to get her luck back scratching lotto tickets. Anyone who didn't get a kick out of her running up to every guy who possibly stole her luck, kissing him, and then scratching a ticket to see if she won anything has a problem.

The scene when she was tryin to do laundry was halarious. Even though you've seen that moment in a bunch of movies and you always know what's coming it was still great. I loved when she was swinging that broom thing at the washer as if that was going to save her.

And the end of the movie when she could have gone to meet her old boss and basically get her life back but went to the concert instead knowing what a disaster it would turn into if she didn't give away her luck again was really nice. I honestly thought that she would go to her thing and then when she found out how bad the concert went that she would use her luck to help get the band another chance. I really liked the ending where she sacrificed her life for him better it showed great character growth.


I paid full price for the movie and it was well worth it to me. I think if you truly like romantic comedies it would be worth that price other wise it's probably only a good matinee movie.

Ghost Whisperer

We have arrived at that time of year known as May sweeps. A great time of year for the stunt casting and cliffhangers we are left with. But on the downside that also means we are heading to that not so fun time of year, four months of repeats.

This past Friday I had my first two May season finales with Ghost Whisperer. Please note that this will not be like my movie reviews where spoilers are put in red as I will be discussing pivitol parts of the plot through out, so if for some reason you haven't watched this finale yet don't read if you don't want things ruined for you.

The finale was two parts. The first part having aired the week before and it was unbelievably intense. I knew most of what was going to happen in the first half of the finale and yet it was unbelievably powerful. It was like getting slowly punched in the gut. I knew the plane crash was coming and yet they found away that even knowing what was going on it was still just nerve racking. I even figured out right away why the plane was going to crash but I just couldn't believe how they built up to it. And all the credit in the world to Jennifer Love Hewitt for her masterful performance. You felt her desire to stop what was coming and you were just sitting there wanting there to be something she could do to stop what was coming. And when she couldn't your heart broke for her. And the ending to the first part just took my breath away.

The one thing I hadn't heard about in the first part was that her friend and business partner Andrea's (Aisha Tyler) brother might be on the plane. That whole subplot was heartbreaking. That was a major gut check. I didn't think the second half could live up to the first half and I was not prepared for or in anyway anticipating what was to transpire in second half.

Melinda trying to convince the souls of the crash victims to cross-over was a great storyline. Can't wait to learn more about the guy in the hat next season and what exactly he is up to and why. Especially if the end of the episode has anything to do with next season.

You spend the whole episode on the edge of your seat wonder and desperately hoping that Andrea's brother was not on that plane. You just know it will devestate her beyond all believe and you just want to scream at them to give you your answer all the while knowing they won't tell you until the very end. And that exactly what they did. And you got a huge moment of relief when you realized he was alive because Andrea could see him only to ten seconds later be hit with the most heartbreaking moment of any show of the entire season, Andrea was killed in the crash. As the plane went down she was driving to her brothers apartment and must have gotten knocked off the road by the force of the disrupted air around the plane. I don't know exactly what happened or how all I know is Andrea was dead and Melinda was to saddened by it to tell her friend the truth. What a moving moment when Melinda told her "I didn't want to let you go."

I don't know what Melinda is going to do next season without Anrea. I don't know what the audience is going to do without Andrea she was generally the comic relief of the show. Hopefully she'll decide not to cross-over and help Melinda with getting rid of the man in the hat. I'm really wondering if there will be some sort of major battle between that man and Melinda for Andrea's soul.

Seriously I didn't think anything could be as heart stoping as last season when Kate took a bullet between the eyes on NCIS but this was right up there with that. Other shows are going to have a tough time living up this finale.

And of all the new shows I've watched this season Ghost Whisperer is hands down the BEST NEW SHOW OF THE SEASON.

Stick It!

First off lets just face it Stick It! is the best title of the year. As a movie it's good right up until the end. I love Bring It On and the fact that this movie was written by the same person, Jessica Bendinger, really added to my wanting to see it. I would have seen it even if that wasn't the case because I have been a fan of the sport of gymnastics for years. Sadly though while a perfectly good writer I don't believe she was at all the right person to direct it. It was clear pretty early on that she didn't have the talent to direct the gymnastics routines. Also where it seemed she had a great grasp of cheerleading, by comparison she seemed to have very little grasp of gymnastics. We'll get to that in a minute.

The cast was pretty good. Jeff Bridges was fun as the coach Burt Vickerman. Although it seemed like the script and even the directing was afraid to make him a real coach. I'm not saying he needed to be a dictator but I think he could have had a little more edge to him. Missy Peregrym as the lead character Haley Graham was really good. I know her from a show on The WB three years ago called Black Sash and I knew then that given the chance this girl could really be something. They had me scared for awhile that she wasn't going to get a big emotional moment. I was very happy when she did and she did not disappoint. The supporting cast of gymnasts were good and they brought the comedy that they needed to bring.

The movie was enjoyable although not as strong or clever as Bring It On right up to the end that is. The ending was pretty lame and really pissed me off. Some of the dialogue in the end segment showed how much Jessica didn't know about the sport. I really tried to be open to the movie and not pick at the stuff that wasn't right but, once they went with such a bad ending I wasn't playing nice anymore. Not only was the ending an insult to the sport, it was an insult to the audience and the movie. How is that possible you ask. It simply was the wrong ending. While the ending was moderately amusing the reason it's so bad is that it was the ending to an entirely different movie. The ending was not the one the belonged with the movie they had made to that point.


Spoilers Alert:


Okay so lets point out one of the most obvious things that was wrong with the gymnastics part of this movie. In the first event that they go to they show the team event which if fine problem is no matter what apparatus they are on there is no music in the background. So unbelievably wrong. Except for event finals all apparatus are being used at the sametime this means that very rarely will a person go through a routine without someone's floor music playing in the background.

In event finals of nationals not only are the vault judges on the wrong side of the vault they are on the floor and too far down. Judges are always up on the podium. The first girls vault that starts the bad ending score was so stupid. First off I've never heard of the no undergarmet rule but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it probably does. However, it would only be a tenth of a point, and while the girl wouldn't have gotten a 10 even without that rule her score wouldn't have been a 9.5. The reason this pissed me off so much is it clearly goes back to Athens when all hell broke lose with the judging particularly in event finals (and really with the men). The problem is at this point the movie became and unfair indictment of the sport and it's scoring. And the reason that's a problem is that there is an overseeing judge who is suppose to have the spine to check the judges marks and make sure they aren't abusing the rules.

Also lets just point out that the dialogue says there is 4 judges per apparatus. This is wrong. Last I checked under the old scoring system there are 6 judges per apparatus with the high and low ones being thrown out and the remaining scores being averaged.

Here's why the ending really made me mad. At no point did they set up the movie to be about the fact that the judging can be unfair. Nope not at all was it ever indicated that the reason Haley left the sport was judging. Infact in the scene when Haley breaks down as she is leaving yet another competition she tells Burt that she walked out on worlds and gymnastics because it tore her family apart. More to the point her coach and mother started having an affair and that tore her family apart.

Then thanks to Burt she decides to give the sport one more chance. She even makes a point of telling him that she won't do cookie cutter routines. That she wants to push the envelope. Well if you push the envelope in gymnastics, contrary to the movies belief, you are rewarded as long as you do it clean. This is where you know the director wasn't up to the task. If you are going to go through the trouble of having your lead make that kind of point to the coach you need to show those routines. Only then when they get to event finals and someone gets screwed on a score the movie suddenly becomes something different. The end of the movie should have been about her trying to redeem herself and finding a love for the sport again. Really it wouldn't have been so infuriating if the movie had been set up for the ending it had. But, the movie they made deserved a different ending.

Basically the ending seemed to be designed to aid the directors in ability to direct the movie. Even routines that were shown were bad and simple. When Haley was shown doing her floor routine you saw her doing more dancing than gymnastics. Trust me there are plenty of gymnasts out there that could have been brought in to do the gymnastics.

Also there is a moment in the movie when Burt is arguing with a judge about a bar score. The judge tells him that she isn't going to reward the athlete for being dangerous and encourage other people to do dangerous routines. What a crock. This moment alone showed Jessica's lack of comprehension of the sport. Every four years the code of points is changed making is so both men and women have to do harder and more dangerous routines just to have a competitive start value.

And don't even get me started on how ashamed Tim Daggett should be of some of the dialogue he agreed to say.



For me because of Jeff and Missy and the movie it was until the last 20-30 minutes it was totally worth full price. However, most people probably shouldn't pay more than matinee price.

The Sentinel

I'm a couple weeks behind.

Two weeks ago I saw The Sentinel. It was a decent movie. Good for the type of movie it was. All the performances were good and the storylines were pretty well laid out. Honestly I probably would have waited until video to see this movie if it weren't for Eva Longoria. She gave a nice performance, nothing special or spectacular, but the role didn't call for anything great or powerful. To her credit she did exactly what the role required. Anything more would have been to much and would have resulted in a performance that was bad. By staying right where the character needed her to she showed that she can do what is needed in any role.

Kiefer was Kiefer. He pushed a little close to too much at times but he never crossed that line. However, even though I don't watch 24 I do wonder if he's just begging to be type cast. Him and Michael did have some good scenes together. I was really worried that they might not play off each other well but that did and that helped the movie a lot.

The plot of the movie was interesting and set up pretty well but there were a few things that didn't make since. Which is usually the case with a lot of these types of movies. Luckily it didn't hurt the overall movie. It was pretty obvious who the bad guy was. There were a couple options but I pretty much had it figured out about halfway through.


Spoiler Alert:

Okay this isn't a huge spoiler but it does apply to the tension between Kiefer and Michael's characters so on the off chance someone can't figure out what that might be without seeing the movie I figured I'd put this in the red section.

There was one completely useless scene in the movie. After one of the Secrect Service guys is killed Michael finds out that he suspected someone having an affair with a collegues wife. Turns out that Kiefer thinks Michael had an affair with his wife and Michael thinks that's what the dead guy was talking about with his wife. So there is this like 30-45 second scene with Michael and Kiefer's wife arguing. Only problem is you don't know that at the time and you spend a huge chunk of time after that wondering whose wife that was for sure and if that scene is going to play into anything later. The scene is a waste of time and only good for confusing the audience. I know it is a really brief scene but it is those kinds of scenes that can make or break a movie at times.


I saw this movie at a matinee and that is the most I would pay for it. It's just not suspensful enough to warrant paying full price.