TV Shows I'm Watching - Heroes (Eps. 5-9)

Episode 5 - Hiros - *** out of 4

Taking place directly after the exciting conclusion of episode 4, this episode clearly sets up a new and interesting plotline. Hiro, from the future (complete with sword), appears before Peter and tells him that if he saves the cheerleader he will save the world.

Peter accepts this task and visits Isaac. Together the two begin to piece together the purpose of Hiro's warnings.

There's a lot that works in this episode, and I think the most refreshing part is that the characters start to shed their uptight exteriors. This becomes most evident with Nathan Petrelli (flying politician), who finally becomes interesting. Up until this episode Adrian Pasdar has been so rigid as Nathan that it was hard to relate to him at all. Here, he has a fantastic moment in a diner where he meets up with Hiro. Maybe it's because he's only dressed in pajama bottoms (it happens after a daring escape), but seeing under Nathan's political facade shows a sly, deprecating and much more likeable character than he's ever been.

It's also interesting to see that Claire's father is not falling into the stock villain category. He has a subplot in this episode where he tries to avenge a horrible crime that was committed against his daughter. While his punishment is brutal (and clearly an abuse of power) his justification for administering it sits in that wonderful moral grey area.

Episode 6 – Better Halves - ** out of 4

This really feels like a filler episode, and ends up being fairly unsurprising. After last week’s episode brought the show up, this one takes it back down in what is probably the weakest episode yet.

The big problem is that we spend so much time with Niki. I’m just not enjoying her story yet, and now they’ve introduced her husband D.L. who is an escaped convict. This whole plot just seems to be about how many horrible things Niki can be involved with (the mob, prostitution, escaped cons, and now domestic violence). The saving grace of this storyline is Micah (Niki’s son) who has some touching moments with his father.

On the plus side there are some nice character touches with Hiro, who finds that even with his superpowers terrible things can still happen in the world.

Episode 7 – Nothing to Hide - ** ½ out of 4

While certainly better than the previous episode, Nothing to Hide suffers from painfully slow plotting. The cheerleader needs to be saved guys! End of the world, remember? It feels like everyone is kind of getting around to that eventually, but boy are they taking their time.

This episode works thanks to the continuation of the Sylar storyline with Matt and a really fantastic moment on a desert highway with Hiro and D.L.

A new burn victim seems to be linked to Sylar, but Matt thinks otherwise. Over the course of his investigation he begins to see that certain powers are more dangerous than others. I like how this opens up the world of Heroes. We meet someone else with special powers and begin to see that our title characters aren’t the only heroes in the midst.

The highway moment is just a fun superhero event where more than one hero comes together to save someone’s life. It’s these moments that really make the show work, and it’s a shame that they are few and far between.

Episode 8 – Seven Minutes to Midnight - *** out of 4

Here we go. It seems like at least one person is taking that whole save the cheerleader thing seriously, her father!

Seven Minutes to Midnight takes us back on track, as the characters try to decipher what future Hiro’s message means, while simultaneously providing some very enticing new storylines.

I’m glad to see Suresh back in India. I felt like he was a walking cipher while he was in New York, but now we get to see his family life and it adds a lot to his character.

On top of that Sylar strikes again, for real this time, and this part of the episode contains some pretty shocking twists and turns. It helps that Hiro is involved, and he’s given a potential love interest (who appears to have a power of her own) which makes his character even more appealing.

But the really interesting aspect of this episode is that it finally delves into Claire’s father and his motivations (which are still murky, but not as much). I’m glad that they’ve taken the route of concerned father, and really show the lengths he will go to in order to protect his daughter.

This is probably the best episode so far, and I eagerly anticipate the next one.

Episode 9 – Homecoming - *** ½ out of 4

This is the episode for me. For every show I’ve watched there’s one episode that seals the deal, and let’s me know I will be tuned in for the rest of its run regardless of how bad it gets (I stuck through the first half of Alias Season 4 for this very same reason). Heroes has finally aired that episode.

That’s not to say it’s a perfect episode (oh look Niki/Jessica is buying illegal weapons now), but it sure does give a good sense of what’s to come.

First off we get a great payoff for many of the narrative threads that have been established this season. Sylar, Save the Cheerleader, Peter Petrelli, Eden (a bland recurring character who piqued my interest this time round), Isaac’s paintings, and Claire’s father all come together by the end.

There’s definitely some creepy imagery here and I was pretty pleased to see how a second episode plot came back to haunt one character in a rather grisly manner. I am also glad to see that Peter has broken away from the moody guy we saw in episode one. .

And how about this? No Hiro. That says something. The best episode of the show didn’t even utilize its best character until the last minute.

This is the first episode that really tapped into the show’s potential. I’ve got a lot of hope for Heroes after this one.

TV Shows I'm Watching - Heroes Episode 4

Episode 4 - Collision - **1/2 out of 4

I'll admit, flying boy has me intrigued now (the non-politican brother). Maybe he's got more going on than I at first expected - kind of a Rogue-style power stealer without the nasty side effects. And by pairing him up with Suresh I feel like these two dormant storylines have been given a much needed injection of...well... life.

In Collision we find the heroes starting to come together in their respective cities, which seem to be Las Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles (although not much is happening in LA this go around).

I have to admit I was kind of hoping for more though...these collisions aren't really too spectacular...until the very last minute which really saves this episode.

Hiro has a comedic subplot about using his powers to gamble. Claire tries to deal with the fact that she was murdered in the previous episode by the quarterback. Matt's been kidnapped by Claire's dad. Nothing earth shattering, but nothing too boring.

We also finally see a bit more of Niki's power when we are introduced to her doppelganger. She has to seduce flying politician brother in order to get rid of her mobster debt. Again, this storyline just isn't really working for me yet, but I definitely liked seeing the doppelganger in action (ahh the old heel through the skull threat).

However, the episode has a really great cliffhanger ending that hopefully means the next episode will be a teensy bit more interesting.

TV Shows I'm Watching - Heroes (Eps. 1-3)

I have been avoiding most of the new television shows this season, not because they don't sound interesting (I'm a huge fan of serialized television shows), but because I was burned last year by getting hooked on interesting shows only to watch them be cancelled at the last minute - I'm talking 'bout you Invasion.

So, now that it can safely be said that Heroes is a hit (I hope I'm not setting myself for disappointment here) I have decided to dive in and watch the first few episodes.

Here's what I think so far.

Episode 1 - Genesis **1/2 out of 4

Suddenly, people across the world start to recognize that they have special abilities. That's the premise of this show which at least has the decency to reference X-Men as an inspiration. The show seems to be less plot driven right now and more about getting to know each of these heroes and where they come from.

In that respect it's a so-so pilot that leaves a lot to be desired. I got the feeling that there was too much teasing, and not enough meat on the bones. We are introduced to a handful of characters who are mostly mopey and uninteresting. Peter Petrelli, a man who believes he can fly, comes across as a colossal bore in this episode which is a pretty bad first step since I get the feeling that he is at the center of the show. While the idea of the regenerating cheerleader character is pretty great, I felt like the show was more interested in showing her power (look, it's gore!) than exploring who she was. In fact the only character who really comes to life is Hiro, the Japanese business man who can bend space and time. His enthusiasm at learning he is special is infectious and he instantly steals the show.

As for the plot we are treated to a few little surprises at how the characters are connected which are unexpected, and the final revelation of Isaac's painting definitely piqued my interest. It goes without saying that these heroes will eventually have to save the world and those plot elements are, maybe not solidly planted, but at least planted in this episode.

It's an okay start that is frankly kind of dull. Everyone tells me it gets better, so I'll stick with it.

Episode 2 - Don't Look Back - *** out of 4

Now, had they aired the first two episodes as one big two hour event, I think it would have made more sense. Episode 2 is where the plot kicks into overdrive.

While I'm still finding the Boy Who Can Fly story to be painfully boring - okay, he can fly and so can his politician brother - the story revolving around Hiro teleporting himself to New York is great! I love how he gets tied in with the psychic painter Isaac, and the final moments of the episode took me by surprise - now here's a plot twist that adds urgency to Hiro's story.

I'm still not sure what I think of Niki, the Internet stripper, who has some kind of doppelganger. Her kid's cute, but her story about getting tied in with the mob seems like a diversion that I don't want to take right now...do we really need another being chased by the mob storyline?

I do have to admit that this episode made Claire (the regenerating cheerleader) much more interesting by exploring her relationship with her father, who is clearly being set up as the villain of our story right now. I'm hoping that they don't make him purely evil...I think having genuine devotion to his daughter will make him much interesting down the road.

And I'm pretty pleased to see Greg Grunberg in the cast especially since his storyline has a lot of potential. He's Matt, a telepathic police officer who gets involved in a serial killer case that is all kinds of messed up (the killer, known as Sylar, impales people with household objects and will sometimes perform his own labotomies).

So, I'm still not sold on the flying brothers, the internet stripper dopelganger, and the Indian scientist, Suresh, searching for his father's secret genetics research (too boring to have mentioned earlier), but the other stories are taking shape.

Episode 3 - One Giant Leap *** out of 4

The stories that weren't interesting before still aren't interesting (although Suresh finding Sylar's apartment was kind of cool), but the stuff that is working keeps moving along at a nice, albeit relaxed pace.

Hiro now tries to convince his friend Ando that he is destined for greatness, and his first steps to becoming a superhero are comical and exciting. Claire has a pretty gruesome experience with a tree branch (I'm not complaining, but man...they really are getting away with some graphic gore shots for primetime television), and Matt comes face to face with Sylar.

It's the Sylar stuff that has me most intrigued right now. He's got a pretty big arsenal of superpowers based on the short, but exciting confrontation he has with Matt. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Sylar's name is found amidst Suresh's father's research (it's complicated just writing about this).

Despite the title, I felt like this was a small step episode, but one that was important to flesh out the characters. Even the stories I'm not particularly enjoying (Flying dudes), I'm starting to forgive a little because I'm giving the writers the benefit of the doubt that they know what they're doing. Solid steps to be sure, but I'm still waiting for that one episode that will really deliver on all fronts.

The Bond Project

Having just read through Entertainment Weekly's list of the best Bond films (How in the world is Live and Let Die third?) and having completely disliked the critically acclaimed Casino Royale (see review below) I thought it was a good time to introduce something new to this blog: The Bond Project.

In the next few months (cause I assume this is going to take a while) I am going to rewatch and write in depth reviews of every Bond film.

Now, I'm not just interested in simple reviews. Nope. If I'm going to rank the Bond films, I'm going to have to come up with a system to rank them....so, I'm going to write some complex reviews.

I will evaluate each Bond film based on the following criteria.

The Cold Opening
The Credits Sequence (including the song)
The Action Scenes (I will review each individual action sequence)
The Plot
The Villain
The Henchman
The Bond Girl
The Secondary Bond Girl (you know...the one who usually dies in the first half)
Bond
Bond's Associates
The Gadgets (this will include the cars)
The Q Scene (if not a Q scene, then the scene where 007 gets his gadgets)
The "Why don't they just kill him" Scene
The Innuendo

At the end, I will hopefully come up with a pretty detailed way of ranking the Bond films. I'll try and get the first one up in the next week (this will be a good test to see how I do with self-imposed deadlines).

Casino Royale Review

For 3/4 of its running time, I figured that Casino Royale was poised to become the best Bond film in ages.

I should preface this review by saying that I am a pretty big fan of the Bond series. I've seen them all a few times. I'm a Connery fan rather than a Moore fan, and I think that Dalton is the most underrated, while Brosnan is the most overrated.

I liked that Casino Royale was going back to the basics. Die Another Day was a tad over the top for my liking. So, tonight I settled into my seat and was hoping to see something very rare, a Bond film that was actually emotionally involving.

And for the longest time it was. I was making a mental checklist at how every Bond staple seemed fresh and original this time out.

First off, Daniel Craig is fantastic as Bond. This Bond actually seems....gasp...human, and his enormous ego is seen as being...no way...an actual weakness. Le Chiffre is a great addition to the Bond rogues gallery of villains; a maniacal terrorist banker who is actually allowed to be vulnerable for a change (and the fact that he cries blood is one of those lovely little details all the great Bond villains have). And Eva Green easily surpasses every Bond girl since Diana Rigg in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

So, where did it all go wrong?

Two words. Plot Twists! Don't worry, I will tread carefully so as not to reveal any of these "brilliant" twists.

Can we please put a moratorium on plot twists...please? For every movie that has a plot twist that actually brings you closer to a character, there are ten other movies that throw them out because they don't know how to write believable character arcs and they need to wake up their audience.

The plot twists in Casino Royale are so convoluted that the biggest emotional moment in the entire film, and what should be the biggest emotional moment in the entire series, is a confusing mess. It takes a minute of exposition after the scene is over for the audience to finally understand why we should have cared about it in the first place.

The last act of Casino Royale is disasterous!!! Every emotion rings false. Every twist is unnecessary. Every second is awful.

Casino Royale is a bad bluff. You think you're getting ready to see a Royal Flush, but in the end you realize that all they ever had was a pair of dueces.

Star Rating - ** (out of 4)

Introduction

Hey Everyone

Before I start writing, I just wanted to give a bit of an introduction about what I’m planning on doing with this blog. I figure, since I’m constantly giving my opinions about all things movies, I may as well write them down somewhere. So, Tales From the VCR Generation has landed and will contain my thoughts, nitpicks, essays, in depth reviews, and articles on all things movies! (I’ll probably throw in some television and book posts in their as well to keep things interesting).

I’ve been a movie fan all my life, and had the good fortune to be born in the early years of VHS. A trip to the video store was a weekly ritual for my family and we would watch almost anything and everything, from new releases to the classics.

It was enough of an obsession to lead me into the film business. I’m a film school graduate based in Toronto who is now a struggling, albeit enthusiastic, screenwriter. I’ve got a few projects that I’m really excited about right now, so hopefully in the next few months I’ll be able to post some good career news.

I don’t want to say too much more right now. I think I’ll just dive into things…Thanks for reading.