Fall 2010 Pilot Reviews (Updated!)

After creating my Handy Guide to Fall 2010 TV chart, I thought it would be only fitting to actually watch all the premieres and weigh in with my thoughts.  This post will be updated as new shows air.

  • Better With You – 3/10 – I didn’t crack a single smile. I guess it has a familiar charm, but I will never purposely watch it again. The jokes fell flat, the plot is cliché, and most of the actors are either miscast or untalented.
  • Blue Bloods – 3.5/10 – The most cliche-filled script of premiere season. Nearly every other line of dialog was pure exposition, and the way all 4 generations in the family are dragged into the case is preposterous. The fact that coincidences and shoddy plotting are so present right out the gate is troubling for the future of this series. I’ll pass.
  • Boardwalk Empire – 8.5/10 – Beautifully shot with a breezy script and an intriguing premise, this show is delightful and has that extra HBO umph we’ve come to expect. I can’t wait to see where this show is going. I’m not yet convinced Buscemi can carry a series on his own, but with such a stellar supporting cast, he doesn’t need to.

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Handy Guide to 2010 Fall TV

Here is my guide to the ins and outs of the 26 new shows premiering in autumn, 2010.

  • >SYNOPSIS – A description of the series premise.
  • /tv/ CRED – What aspects of the series might be of interest to you?
  • THE BUZZ – What critics and bloggers who have seen the series are saying (the only shows I’ve actually watch so far are The Big C and No Ordinary Family).
  • THE /tv/ EQUATION – My mathematical formula for best explaining the series.
  • /tv/ COMPATIBILITY RATING – How likely the series is to appeal to viewers. Not a judgment of series quality.

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The Social Network – Movie Review

There’s a moral ambivalence to The Social Network that’s refreshing. Who is right? Who is wrong? Who is good? Who is evil. The movie doesn’t tell you and it doesn’t seem to care. All it’s saying is these are the events and this is how they happened (or is it?). Nothing is defined, nothing is spelled out, nothing is spoon fed to the audience. It’s refreshing.

But it’s also a little irritating. Let me elaborate. But first–

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Gravity & Buried – Script Reviews

Just quickly chiming in with my initial thoughts on the scripts for Alfonso Cuaron’s upcoming space adventure Gravity and the coffin-escape thriller Buried starring Ryan Reynolds.  I’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum.

GRAVITY

The Bottom Line: Good script and it could make a great film if done right (and with some re-writes).

First things first – there’s no way this movie is being made as one single continuous shot, not without major re-writes. Not only are there a number of moments were we are shown things from a completely different location than the protagonist is in, but it is not completely real time and there are a few quick time jumps.  It could work in real time, there’s just have to be some changes made. It will likely be made with a very limited number of takes and a few select extremely long takes. I remember reading that the first 20 minutes would be one shot, and I can definitely see that happening.

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Pixar vs Dreamworks – A Brief Analysis

Here is the major difference between Pixar and Dreamworks (with a few exceptions):

- Pixar makes films that are singularly natured.
- Dreamworks makes films that are dual natured.

What do I mean by this? When Pixar makes a film, all or nearly all of the elements in it– characters/dialog/jokes/story– are designed to have universal appeal. Anyone from young children to elderly adults can relate and usually understand because these are universal themes that are being explored. Dreamworks on the other hand makes films that simultaneously are trying to appeal directly to children and adults. So they have the juvenile jokes for the kids to laugh at, then they have the innuendo and more sophisticated pop culture shit for the adults to catch on to.

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