Alias (2001-2006)

Sydney Bristow is an international spy recruited out of college and trained for espionage and self-defense.

That's it.  I quit.  Alias was slow to begin with but this is ridiculous.  In the last season, I don't know what happened but the characters don't mean anything anymore.  Half the cast is dead or moved away and the only one left is Sydney.  Of course.

So Sydney is the main character and she's a spy.  Her boyfriend proposes to her and she tells him that she's a spy so she doesn't have to lie to her husband.  He accepts her and still wants to be with her but the organization she works for finds out she told him so he is killed.

The rest of the series is her avenging his death.  She hates the leader, Sloane, but continues to work for him (and now the CIA) to take him down.  After she does she goes to work with the CIA for real.  Stuff happens and seasons move on...eventually she falls for her CIA handler, Vaughn.  They get engaged and then hit by a car.  This plot is halted for a LONGGGGG time.  And that's when I stopped.

Jennifer Garner (Sydney) was never my favorite actress and she was even ok for a while kicking butt and taking names.  But as the seasons went on she got more and more BORING.  Her and her problems just seemed less and less significant.  Examples:

Oh I miss my fiance!! (acceptable)

Oh I hate my boss because he killed my fiance! (acceptable)

I really like my CIA handler but that's not professional :(  (uhhhh.....)

My dad lied to me! (ok you're losing me)

I have a sister! (why is this a problem?)

It's this kind of lame-ness that stops me from wanting to actually watch the show.  Honestly it doesn't even look like the cast enjoys what they're doing.  Maybe that was just part of their acting technique but they should at least be able to feed off each other. These actors said their lines and walked away.

One high point was the makeup and costumes.  Every time Sydney went on a mission she had the BEST outfits and hair.  Props to her stylist and makeup artist!!

Other than that I don't have much else to say about this show.  I'm not really into spy shows to begin with so maybe that's why I wasn't quite as receptive to this show as I could have been.

Overall, 3 stars.  I understand where the writers were going with the concept but I don't think it ever got there.  And they could have picked a better leading lady.

TV Update Jan 2013

So since I'm into so many different shows right now I don't think I can review just one.  Some shows I'm just starting and others I'm trying to finish...so this post is more about the stuff I'm currently watching.  All of it at once...yep I have an addiction ;)

First is Alias.  I've been watching this show for a few weeks now and it's ok.  Not my favorite and definitely won't be re-watching episodes but interesting enough to keep me coming back.  The auto start of the next episode feature on Netflix doesn't hurt either.  So far 3 stars.

Then there's Hart of Dixie on the CW.  Normally I'm not a fan of the CW but this show is kinda awesome.  It's about a doctor from NY that goes to practice in Alabama.  I can TOTALLY relate because I moved from NY to Indiana for college and I feel like I'm in the same boat as the main character a lot.  And she's hilarious.  I love a character who has a witty comeback for everything!  4 stars.

Also on the CW is The Carrie Diaries.  I can't decide if I like the prequel to Sex and the City or not but so far so good.  There are only 3 episodes out so this 'review' is very early on.  The characters are ok but I LOVE the 80s fashion and music.  This is one to watch for now...3 stars.

Pretty Little Liars.  I have been with this show from the beginning and it is just slow enough to be in the 3rd season and I STILL don't know who killed Ali.  We know two people on the A team but that's it.  My favorite couple just broke up though so I might have to struggle through the rest of this season :P As of this moment 3 stars.

Bunheads is my FAVORITE show to watch right now.  Every episode has something hilarious and something that causes drama and something that messes with every main character.  And of course the singing/dancing doesn't hurt either when the main character is Tony award winning Sutton Foster!  Have I mentioned my obsession with her?  Cuz I now have a huge Broadway playlist on my iPod that I cannot stop listening to. 5 stars!

The Biggest Loser is a show that I love to watch.  Not for motivation or because it's good tv, but mainly because I like to eat while I watch it.  Awful I know, but there's something about eating ice cream while a bunch of overweight people pass out.  2 stars, this show is more of background noise than watchable tv.

Lost Girl I have already mentioned in an earlier post but I still LOVE this show!!!  Every character has an element and even the new character is amazing! I love to hate her!!!  Plus all the drama that's going on with Kenzi is making me anxious for the next episode!! 5 stars :DDDD

How I Met Your Mother is also a really good show.  This is something I watch with all my friends (virtually unfortunately) and we all can't wait to find out who the mother is!!  Granted this is THE longest story in history but it's still awesome.  Five years later, I pretty much know nothing about the mother, but I'm still as interested as season 1.  4 stars because I'm still waiting for the new Robin Sparkles episode.

I'm not sure if Leverage counts because it got cancelled a few weeks ago but I still watch repeats everyday.  This is the only show I can watch and re-watch over and over again and not get bored.  I know most of the dialogue for the pilot but I still love everything about it.  I've even picked up a few tricks!  I can now officially pick pocket someone without them noticing! 5 stars forever and for always!!

Those are all the shows I'm watching right now and for the most part they're pretty interesting.  I left out some occasional reality shows but these are the ones I watch on a pretty regular basis.  Full reviews to come soon!

Lost Girl (2010-present)

Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan system and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth about her own mysterious origins.

OMG WATCH THIS SHOW!!!!!

There's sex, violence, sarcasm, more sex, mysterious ancient creatures, MORE sex...you get the idea ;)

So this is Canadian 'late night' tv.  They show more than I'm used to in terms of steamy scenes and I'm not usually into that kind of thing but it actually works for this show.  And well the main character is a succubus so it's hard to avoid the sex subject.

Bo is the main character (I'll admit, I LOVE everything about this show except her name...Bo, really?) and she has been on the run since she was 18 and killed her first love.  While in the place where the show takes place (I have no idea where...somewhere in Canada?) she meets Kenzi, a runaway and Bo's self-proclaimed human protector. Together they start a PI business and help the cops solve some cases.

Bo has some love triangles on the side which complicates things and she learns her true heritage.

I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS SHOW!  Seriously I'm addicted.  I started watching it last week and I'm already done with seasons 1 and 2.  Season 3 is currently airing on SyFy and I am proud to say I'm up to date (even without a tv).

And then there's the acting.  Anna Silk plays Bo and I'm pretty sure I have the BIGGEST girl crush on her.  The acting between her and Kenzi is so organic and hilarious it reminds me of my relationship with my sister.

So if I haven't stressed this enough...WATCH THIS SHOW!!!!!!!

I know it's on a 'no-name' network and it has a bunch of 'no-name' actors but it is seriously worth your time.  5 billion stars!!!!!

Touch Series by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...

Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia’s life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia’s life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She’s reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She’s inexplicably drawn to Ben…and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help—but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

This book series was just disappointing.  That's it.  I loved this author before I picked up this series and now I just feel empty inside.

Camelia is the most boring character in the world.  She is so self-centered and the entire book is from her point of view so you don't really get to know anything around her.  Her friends are mysteries and her mom is vegan (that's about as much detail as you get)...oh and she and her dad make lots of runs to Taco Bell.

I did like the end of the first book, Deadly Little Secret, hence the summary at the top.  But I decided to include all three books in this review because they were all the same.  If it was a single book I would have been satisfied and moved on.  But it wasn't so I didn't.

Once the Ben/Camelia ship has sailed they have to bring a new guy into the mix to heat stuff up again.  Seriously I realized authors get paid on commission but one was ENOUGH.  The template was the same, the characters were the same and even the love scenario was the...you guessed it...same!!!

To be honest I got half way through the last book and decided to call it quits.  Classes have started up again so I don't have as much time to read as I did before.  I think the fact that I had no motivation to read how the series ends explains to you how poorly executed this concept was.

And this is all coming from a reader who worshiped this author a few years ago when I read the Blue is for Nightmares series.

Overall, don't waste your time.  If you need to satisfy your curiosity then stop after the first one.  Seriously stop.  You will think there's hope, that now the second one couldn't be that awful, especially after the first ending.  But trust me, it's worse.  Just stop.

3 stars because I used to love this author and she gave me enough motivation to finish 2.5 books.

Burlesque (2010)

A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.

This movie was alright.  Not the musical I wanted it to be and not the small-town-girl-turned-stripper movie either.  Essentially this movie was just Christina Aguilera showing off.

There was no plot line.  The characters were never developed.  This movie lacked a soul.  By the end I was grateful for the credits and that's when you KNOW a movie is horrible.

This movie was so bland and average that I have nothing else to say about it.  I would recap the plot, but there wasn't one.  They tried to create conflict but it didn't work out because the main character always made the right choice.

Granted Aguilera is a great singer/dancer/performer, but acting is not her forte.  I will appreciate her from the comfort of my car radio, nothing further.

Overall, don't bother watching this movie.  There's nothing to see...really.  2 stars because I wanted so much out of this movie but was extremely disappointed.  One positive note?  The soundtrack.

Les Miserables (2012)

In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole, agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's daughter, Cosette. The fateful decision changes their lives forever.

A-FREAKIN-MAZING!!!  This movie was everything I thought it would be and more.  Granted, it was a little long but so worth the butt muscle pain.

It was kind of a given that I was gonna cry like a baby through the whole movie (I cried listening to the soundtrack) but still every scene was pure gold.  The acting was stellar and the live singing made everything that much MORE awesome.

So if you don't know the story...

Jean Valjean receives his freedom from French prison.  He was arrested for stealing bread and trying to run from the [insert French word for cops here].  Before he leaves he is threatened by Javert, a man who takes his threats seriously.  He tries to find work but no one will hire a convict until he finds shelter in a church.  He steals most of their silver and tries to escape in the night but gets caught. The priest insists that the silver was a gift so he doesn't get arrested. From this point on he decides to be a better person and help out whoever he can.

Years later he becomes the mayor of a small town under a new name (he renounced his old name) and inadvertently gets a mother fired (Fantine).  Javert turns out to be the new head-cop-guy for this town and begins to recognize Valjean.

Fantine ends up dead after losing her job and a series of unfortunate events.  Valjean is by her bedside and promises to protect her daughter, Cosette.

He and Cosette run from Javert for a while and the French Revolution is beginning to take shape. Cosette falls in 'love' (the kind where you look at each other for a minute and decide that you have to be together).  Valjean makes sure this super special guy survives the revolution to take care of Cosette.

Some side stuff happens and then Valjean dies a happy old man. Sort of.

But anyway GREAT movie, especially if you ignore the revolution stuff.  France just fails when it comes to fighting/revolting.  I think if you include all the backstory mentioned in the movie they revolted and failed at least 3 times.  Just a word of advice...you guys should probly plan a little more before starting an uprising.

Other than that, I give this movie the full 5 stars.  I'm gonna buy it when it comes out on DVD and the soundtrack and probly some posters too :)  Hands down you HAVE to see this movie!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

I had such high hopes for this book.  Everyone said it was gonna be a good read and I wouldn't be wasting my time.  I was lied to.

I mean zombies really aren't my thing, but I thought hey, why not?  I learned my lesson.

Mary is the main character and she is a few fries short of a Happy Meal, if you know what I mean.  But you don't know this from the beginning.  You think she's normal and dealing with living in a caged-in village.  So her whining is understandable...for a while.

The village she lives in is completely surrounded by chain-linked fencing which apparently is enough to keep out the Unconsecrated (zombies).  I don't understand how that's possible, but that's not really the part that bugs me.

Anyway, Mary's mom gets too close to the fence one day while pining for her husband, who was infected (bitten) a while ago and gets herself infected.  She elects to be released into the Forest of Hands and Teeth  to hopefully find her lost love and create a new spin on Twilight.

Mary and her older brother Jed are sad, but Jed has his own wife to tend to so Mary is left an orphan.  The Sisterhood (group of nuns that run the village) agree to take her in as long as she becomes one of them (because no man wants to marry her).  While living with the Sisters in the Cathedral she falls in love with a childhood friend, Travis, and meets an outsider, Gabrielle.  To Mary this is proof of life somewhere else and she has a sudden quest to find the ocean her mom used to tell her stories about.

This is where she starts to lose me and the book took a turn for the worst.  Because up until this point, I was good with the village people and their crazy antics and the world building; it was all really interesting. The minute Mary wanted to find the ocean I should have stopped reading.

So to keep the book moving the zombies break through and everyone freaks out.  

Okay so I did kind of like this part but only because the villagers didn't even try to fight the zombies.  They're all apparently trained in weaponry but how do they fight back?  They make tall platforms and climb onto them so the zombies won't eat them.  REALLY?  That's the best solution you could come up with?  Make really tall platforms and hope the zombies go away?  The thought of so many people on giant wooden decks really entertains me for some reason :)

Anyway...

The only ones that make it past the fences alive are the characters we know:  Mary, Travis, Cass (Mary's best friend and Travis's fiance), Harry (Travis's brother and Mary's fiance), Jed and his wife, but she dies after being infected.  Oh! Jacob and a puppy make it out okay also.  Jacob is a random little boy that we meet during the breach.

And if you didn't already notice the love triangle happening I'm taking this moment to point it out.  Harry and Travis both love Mary.  Mary only loves Travis, but since he has already promised to marry Cass she can't have him (and in my opinion that's the only reason she likes him).  Because as soon as she has him...later on...she only wants the ocean and misses Harry.  WTF Mary!?!?!  Make up your mind girl!

So this nonsense goes on and on until they find an abandoned village and make it to safety.  This doesn't last long and soon they are back on the other side of the fences.  By this point Mary is full-on crazy and thinks she found a code of numbers to follow.  She then finds a gate to the forest (coincidentally) and goes to find the ocean.  Jed runs after her and I assume dies because he's never heard from again.

Mary finds the ocean and another little village.  She cries because she's so happy.  I cried because there's a sequel.

I'm mad because the author could have really went somewhere with the beginning of this book but didn't and made Mary crazier than I thought anyone could be.  If she didn't HAVE to find the ocean she could have saved Travis, Jed, Jed's wife, her mother, Sister Tabitha (but I'm glad she died, she was getting on my nerves) and countless other no-named people.  But no, she had to find the stupid ocean and risk everyone's lives for nothing.  NOTHING!!!

This book doesn't have a reward at the end.  She finds the ocean then that's it.  End of story.  No answers about the zombies or anything about anything.  She doesn't even try to find her friends she left to die in the forest.  Mary says she loves her friends and family so much and doesn't even try to save them?  She didn't deserve to see the ocean.

Overall, 3 stars.  This book wasn't terrible but I didn't like it either.  I will NOT be reading the rest of the series because I can't take any more of this madness.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

This movie was awesome!  After I watched it for my Soc. class I decided I should review it here.

So although Hannibal Lecter is totally fictional he is still freakishly scary. That actor was truly amazing and I believed for every minute of the 118 I was watching him that he really was a serial killer.  Buffalo Bill not so much, but then again, he was a little too crazy for my taste.  I'm guessing that's the way the director wanted to portray Bill so the actor was probably just doing what he was told...fair enough.  At least he was consistent.

Clarice was very relatable and I don't even like Jodie Foster.  When she was scared so was I, when she figured something out I realized what it was.  The way the movie was paced was also really good.  I could keep up with what was happening.  It wasn't too procedural, like a bad episode of Law & Order.

I could also personally relate to Clarice because I am female and you could really see how she struggled to fit into the FBI, which was mostly dominated by men.

I'm not going to give a synopsis of the film because I know I'll give too much away.  Every moment is either interesting, thrilling or earth shattering and everyone should have the opportunity to feel that themselves.  I don't want to ruin anything!

So in summary...SEE THIS MOVIE!!!

Overall 4 stars.  It's not worth 5 because once you know the ending the rest is ruined.  You can never watch it again.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.

So this was obviously a kids movie, but it was still cute and witty enough for me to enjoy.  Since finals week is quickly approaching I needed to get some fun into my system and this was exactly the movie to see.

Ralph is the cute and lovable bad guy and is underappreciated in his video game, Fix It Felix.  He leaves to prove himself (by earning a medal) and so when he returns his fellow game characters will finally accept him and he won't have to live alone at the dump anymore.

Ralph getting the medal was actually the easy part.  This kind of threw me for a loop.  In these kinds of movies the hero always spends more than half of the movie searching for whatever and then the rest of the way he is just trying to return home.

Ralph did it backwards.  He got the medal in about 5 minutes.  Impressive right?  But then he accidentally gets sucked into another game similar to Mario Kart on crack and loses his medal.  He makes friends with another outcast and they help to save the game from evil cyber-bugs.

Ralph goes home and everyone appreciates him.  The end.

Not an impressive plot, but I'll give Disney the thumbs up for twisting it around a little.  Going into this movie I didn't have high hopes.  Honestly I was hoping to get a 90 minute nap out of it.  But because of voices like Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch I actually found myself laughing pretty hard.

All in all the graphics were really good.  It was cool to see how they mimicked other older games, like Pac Man and Mario Bros., you could really see the change in animation and technique.

Also the colors in Sugar Rush (the made up game that most of the movie takes place in) made me want to eat candy.  So now I'm eating gummy bears as I write this review :)

Overall I'm not sure if I would see it again, but I would give Wreck-It Ralph 3 stars.  I was entertained and I don't have too much criticism for the movie at all.  I don't want to give it more stars because I feel like once you know what happens that's the end of it.  The wonder of new worlds is lost and you don't have the same curiosity you did as the first time you saw it.  You know all the characters and how they will react.

But if my little cousins REALLY wanna see it I might reconsider.

Sherlock (2010-present)

A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.

This is officially the best show in existence.  I cannot rave about this show enough.  The actors are so committed and the script is just so amazing!  THIS IS WHY I LOVE BRITISH PEOPLE!!

So everyone knows the famous story/character Sherlock Holmes and his 'bromantic' partner, Dr. John Watson.  This reincarnation of the old stories is so true to the original and is like no other remake out there.  Arthur Conan Doyle would be proud.

Except for when things have to be brought into this century, like using cell phones or the incorporation of genetic testing, most everything else is extremely accurate.  (Take this with a grain of salt because I have not yet read the book series, but a close friend of mine has and I am trusting her opinion.)

I don't really have any major problems with the show except that there are NOT enough episodes.  BBC only provides us with 3 episodes per season and each episode is about 90 minutes...which of course is just enough to leave me wanting more.

The man who plays Sherlock however does bother me from time to time.  Not because he doesn't play the part right (he actually fits it to a 'T') but his face reminds me of a dog.  Or a deer in headlights.  But that's nothing against him, it's not like he can do anything to make me feel less OCD about it.  He is still a great actor and I see why he was cast in the show.  AND he and Watson have great chemistry.  Lots of eye sex ;)

I just started watching this series yesterday and now I'm already done with it.  But after watching all the available episodes I would have to say that the first episode, A Study In Pink, would have to be my favorite.  It's when you first meet Sherlock and Watson and find out how they get to be roomies.  You are also introduced to Anderson, who doesn't have much of a role in the series except getting chastised repeatedly by Holmes.  This kept me the most entertained.

I'll admit, the pilot needed the humor.  The characters didn't have the likability yet and I couldn't connect with them on an emotional level...yet.  Also it's very hard to sit down for 90 minutes without being tempted to do or watch something else.  So the only two things that kept me watching were the facts that I loved Sherlock Holmes and every line of dialogue for the first 30 minutes was sarcastic and HILARIOUS.  I'm a sucker for sarcasm.

I don't want to give away any plot lines or any spoilers because this show really is amazing.  It was classic Sherlock Holmes:  he was always one step ahead of the villain and two steps ahead of the audience.  Now I watch a lot of crime shows and read a lot of mysteries but I couldn't figure out who did it 5 out of 6 times.  (I did manage to guess the villain one time but I'm not sure that it counts because it was a repeat offense...nevermind, I still give myself props.)

Overall, 5 stars.  If I could give more I would.

*Side note:  if any of this post sounds too formal or strange it's probably because everything I've said recently has been in a British accent...apologies :)  It should fade in a couple days, if I'm lucky.