- How to Train Your Dragon (first weekend)
- Alice in Wonderland
- Hot Tub Time Machine (first weekend)
- The Bounty Hunter
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- She's Out of My League
- Green Zone
- Shutter Island
- Repo Men
- Our Family Wedding
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tops at the Box Office - March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Toy Story 3 Preview!
We're doing a Toy Story 3 preview in a matter of minutes. Follow along? Click on over to Rotten Tomatoes for the slideshow scoop.
How'd It Get Burned? - March 23, 2010
Nic Cage has been quiet, doubtless after learning that he's not going to be Captain America. But at least we found a few things worthy of mention.
The latest in a series of "Top Pop Stop" live reads, Nic Cage has thoughts on Kick-Ass, which opens April 16. According to Comic Book Movie, Nic told MTV: "There were a lot of feelings about the violence. I was concerned. I knew it was going to be something that was uncomfortable for me as an actor." For the full interview, hit up the link!
And Obsessed with Film lists Next as the worst movie twist of all time. Yeah, it's a stinker, but for us the most unbelievable part of it is that Nic ends up going out with Jessica Biel.
The latest in a series of "Top Pop Stop" live reads, Nic Cage has thoughts on Kick-Ass, which opens April 16. According to Comic Book Movie, Nic told MTV: "There were a lot of feelings about the violence. I was concerned. I knew it was going to be something that was uncomfortable for me as an actor." For the full interview, hit up the link!
And Obsessed with Film lists Next as the worst movie twist of all time. Yeah, it's a stinker, but for us the most unbelievable part of it is that Nic ends up going out with Jessica Biel.
Weekend Watch - March 26, 2010
Fire and water at the box office - who will win??? (A variation of boys vs. girls, this week it's boys vs. kids.)
How to Train Your Dragon - the most unintentionally dirty title of the year. Vikings and dragons and 3-D, oh my!
Hot Tub Time Machine - the most ridiculous title of the year. If you haven't had enough
time travel on LOST lately, you'll probably giggle with glee at this one. Otherwise, you'll probably find it dumb.
How to Train Your Dragon - the most unintentionally dirty title of the year. Vikings and dragons and 3-D, oh my!
Hot Tub Time Machine - the most ridiculous title of the year. If you haven't had enough
time travel on LOST lately, you'll probably giggle with glee at this one. Otherwise, you'll probably find it dumb.
Tops at the Box Office - March 19, 2010
- Alice in Wonderland
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (first weekend)
- The Bounty Hunter (first weekend)
- Repo Men (first weekend)
- Green Zone
- She's Out of My League
- Shutter Island
- Avatar
- Our Family Wedding
- Remember Me
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Glee-ver and Beaver
For a look at the Gleecap from today's show, check out Entertainment Weekly. For "The Beaver," check out The Sly Oyster, if only for the photo.
How'd It Get Burned? - March 16, 2010
News on Nic is pretty sparse this week while he's out promoting "Kick-Ass" (April 16) and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (July 16), with nary a release date in sight for "Season of the Witch."
But Latino Review posts about an exciting new project for Nic Cage - playing a CGI caveman in "The Croods." Will Nic's performance as a "prehistoric patriarch" redefine animation in a way that "Avatar" never could? (Hint: No.)
And Celebuzz has a picture of Nic... well, we'll let them explain: "A Homeless-Looking Nicolas Cage Invites You to Caption Him Eating a Pickle." (Violently, adds Lilia)
But Latino Review posts about an exciting new project for Nic Cage - playing a CGI caveman in "The Croods." Will Nic's performance as a "prehistoric patriarch" redefine animation in a way that "Avatar" never could? (Hint: No.)
And Celebuzz has a picture of Nic... well, we'll let them explain: "A Homeless-Looking Nicolas Cage Invites You to Caption Him Eating a Pickle." (Violently, adds Lilia)
Weekend Watch - March 19, 2010
The movie theater welcomes you back from spring break with a few lukewarm offerings.
The Bounty Hunter - Will someone please save Gerard Butler's career? It started strong, with "Phantom of the Opera" and "300," but now it's just plain sad.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid - It's cute, it's for the kids.
Repo Men - Remember that Paris Hilton musical? This is like that, but with less singing and more real people (Jude Law, Forest Whitaker). While this is the best offering this weekend, it's not necessarily a run-out-and-see-it flick.
The Bounty Hunter - Will someone please save Gerard Butler's career? It started strong, with "Phantom of the Opera" and "300," but now it's just plain sad.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid - It's cute, it's for the kids.
Repo Men - Remember that Paris Hilton musical? This is like that, but with less singing and more real people (Jude Law, Forest Whitaker). While this is the best offering this weekend, it's not necessarily a run-out-and-see-it flick.
Tops at the Box Office - March 12, 2010
- Alice in Wonderland
- Green Zone (first weekend)
- She's Out of My League (first weekend)
- Remember Me (first weekend)
- Shutter Island
- Our Family Wedding (first weekend)
- Avatar
- Brooklyn's Finest
- Cop Out
- The Crazies
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
45 Flicks to Watch
Premiere has a list of the 45 most anticipated movies of 2010. Click over for their full list.
Zach's top pick - Iron Man 2.
Lilia's top pick - The Beaver.
Zach's top pick - Iron Man 2.
Lilia's top pick - The Beaver.
How'd It Get Burned? - Feb. 23, 2010
Perez Hilton has a gem of a quote from Nicolas Cage about his fiscal woes: “The first thing you think is, ‘This can’t be true. I want to crawl up and hide at the end of the world.' I have a new manager now, so I’m halfway there, and I will pay off all those debts, to the last cent. I have a responsibility for my sons and my wife. I have to get back on my feet.”
And just in case you were in denial, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is actually happening. There's a trailer and a full cast list over at IMDb.
And just in case you were in denial, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is actually happening. There's a trailer and a full cast list over at IMDb.
Tops at the Box Office - Feb. 19, 2010
- Shutter Island (first weekend)
- Valentine's Day
- Avatar
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
- The Wolfman
- Dear John
- Tooth Fairy
- Crazy Heart
- From Paris with Love
- Edge of Darkness
Weekend Watch - Feb. 26, 2010 (and beyond!)
Zombies, cops, and a Spring Break Preview in this extended Weekend Watch.
The Crazies - Zombies infect a small town.
Cop Out - Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as the most ridiculous cops ever.
Spring Break Watch:
Alice in Wonderland - Need we say anything about this one? Definitely a BEST BET.
Brooklyn's Finest - More police.
Green Zone - It's basically Bourne Identity in Iraq.
Remember Me - Claire from LOST and the vampire from "Twilight" in a romance about living life to the fullest.
She's Out of My League - Dorky guy woos drop-dead gorgeous girl.
Our Family Wedding - Minorities marry, family bonds.
The Crazies - Zombies infect a small town.
Cop Out - Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as the most ridiculous cops ever.
Spring Break Watch:
Alice in Wonderland - Need we say anything about this one? Definitely a BEST BET.
Brooklyn's Finest - More police.
Green Zone - It's basically Bourne Identity in Iraq.
Remember Me - Claire from LOST and the vampire from "Twilight" in a romance about living life to the fullest.
She's Out of My League - Dorky guy woos drop-dead gorgeous girl.
Our Family Wedding - Minorities marry, family bonds.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Oscar Watch - Tomatoes Weigh In
2008’s Best Picture – Slumdog Millionaire (93% - #32)
2009 Best Picture Nominees:
Up (98% - #4 - The characterizations are fairly coarse cartoons, in contrast to the emotionally rich cartoons that have become Pixar's hallmark. They're more schematic than organic, and that applies to the plotting as well, Joe Morgenstern of WSJ)
Hurt Locker (97% - #7- It’s only a movie about men at work in war. Yet it seems like a definitive war movie, Jonathan Kiefer of Sacramento News & Review)
An Education (95% - #18 - You may think you know where the film is going, but its ecstasy and heartbreak will stick with you afterward. It's one of the year's best, Christy Lemire of AP)
Precious (91% - #45 - There is a thin line between compassion and voyeurism; soul-searing drama and overwrought melodrama; opera and Oprah. This film tramples all over it, Christopher Tookey of Daily Mail (UK))
District 9 (90% - #51 - You don’t feel bamboozled, fooled, or patronized by District 9, as you did by most of the summer blockbusters. You feel winded, shaken, and shamed,
Up in the Air (90% - #52 - There's nothing too profound here, and yet it works well as a smart, light cosmopolitan comedy: it's a snack, rather than a meal, but expertly made, Peter Bradshaw of Guardian [
Inglourious Basterds (89% - #59 - Quentin Tarantino seems to be hanging on to a lost world of moviemaking. He may be nuts. But he's a nut who cares, Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com)
A Serious Man (87% - #72 - it feels nasty and pointlessly vindictive. There's a hole in the middle of this movie, where a modicum of empathy and humanity ought to be, Tookey strikes again)
Avatar (82% - didn’t rank - Alternates between a slurry of Franz Marc expressionism and the most elaborate Thundercats episode ever made, Fernando F. Croce of CinePassion)
Blind Side (69% - didn’t rank - The so-called "feel-good" film functioning as a well-timed balm for the conflicted soul of white America, Kimberley Gaddette of Indie Movies Online)
How'd It Get Burned? - Feb. 15, 2010
The bad news train pulls back into the Nic Cage station this week.
Empire announces (as is everyone else) that "Season of the Witch" is getting yanked from theaters five weeks before its advertised drop date. No word yet on when (or if) the flick's getting a new date, so audiences will have to wait and see if Nic lives up to the film's catchphrase - "CUT OFF THE HEAD!"
Hooray! Ugo tells us that "Drive Angry," one of many vigilante movies Nic has in the works, is going to be in 3D! Watch out, "Avatar"...
And "Kick-Ass" star Chloe Moretz has the most anti-climactic story over at MTV's Splash Page. It must be read to be believed.
Empire announces (as is everyone else) that "Season of the Witch" is getting yanked from theaters five weeks before its advertised drop date. No word yet on when (or if) the flick's getting a new date, so audiences will have to wait and see if Nic lives up to the film's catchphrase - "CUT OFF THE HEAD!"
Hooray! Ugo tells us that "Drive Angry," one of many vigilante movies Nic has in the works, is going to be in 3D! Watch out, "Avatar"...
And "Kick-Ass" star Chloe Moretz has the most anti-climactic story over at MTV's Splash Page. It must be read to be believed.
Weekend Watch - Feb. 19, 2010
The box office gets spooky this week... oooh...
Shutter Island - Martin Scorsese's new spookfest pens up with Leonardo DiCaprio as a federal marshal investigating a missing prisoner at an island asylum run by super-shady Ben Kingsley. Boys who love Scorsese and girls who love Leo are both sure to win.
The Ghost Writer - Roman Polanski's new flick uncovers secrets about a politician employing a ghostwriter in this contribution to Polanski's legal fees.
Shutter Island - Martin Scorsese's new spookfest pens up with Leonardo DiCaprio as a federal marshal investigating a missing prisoner at an island asylum run by super-shady Ben Kingsley. Boys who love Scorsese and girls who love Leo are both sure to win.
The Ghost Writer - Roman Polanski's new flick uncovers secrets about a politician employing a ghostwriter in this contribution to Polanski's legal fees.
Tops at the Box Office - Feb. 12, 2010
- Valentine's Day (first weekend)
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thieves (first weekend)
- The Wolfman (first weekend)
- Avatar
- Dear John
- Tooth Fairy
- From Paris with Love
- Edge of Darkness
- Crazy Heart
- When in Rome
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
How'd It Get Burned? - Feb. 9, 2010
Hey, folks - Zach here. Nic Cage is still in hiding (call us, Nic, seriously), so this week we're taking time out to have Lilia star in her very own fabulous Nic Cage adventure! (And so can you, at Cracked.com)
Coming soon to a movie theater near you: "The Fuzzy Zoologist Kisses."
You are "Pro McTagonist," Lilia, and you're a good guy. Unfortunately, something's wrong with the bees, and you're the only one who can get to the bottom of things. No one believes you, and you're covered in bees! Luckily, due to your unique access to a motorcycle, you're able to save the day in a bear suit. Also, for the whole adventure, your hair is atrocious.
I don't know about you, but I've preordered my tickets.
Coming soon to a movie theater near you: "The Fuzzy Zoologist Kisses."
You are "Pro McTagonist," Lilia, and you're a good guy. Unfortunately, something's wrong with the bees, and you're the only one who can get to the bottom of things. No one believes you, and you're covered in bees! Luckily, due to your unique access to a motorcycle, you're able to save the day in a bear suit. Also, for the whole adventure, your hair is atrocious.
I don't know about you, but I've preordered my tickets.
Weekend Watch - Feb. 12, 2010
It's the third round in the "Boys vs. Girls" slugfest - who's going to win this week?
The Wolfman - Boys watch monsters tear people apart.
Valentine's Day - Girls watch people fall in love.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Does anyone know what this movie is? Apparently Lilia does, so she says it'll be cute.
The Wolfman - Boys watch monsters tear people apart.
Valentine's Day - Girls watch people fall in love.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Does anyone know what this movie is? Apparently Lilia does, so she says it'll be cute.
Tops at the Box Office - Feb. 5, 2010
The nightmare is over! Shirtless crying people defeat blue people!
- Dear John (first weekend)
- Avatar
- From Paris with Love (first weekend)
- Edge of Darkness
- Tooth Fairy
- When in Rome
- The Book of Eli
- Crazy Heart (first weekend in real release)
- Legion
- Sherlock Holmes
Zach's Heroes Watch - "Brave New World"
Previously on Heroes: Peter and Sylar have a bonding moment, Hiro’s in love with time-lost Charlie, and Noah’s troubled past catches up to him when he gets buried alive with Claire as Samuel takes his show on the road to New York.
Things look grim for Claire and Noah, buried alive about fifty feet down; even Lauren can’t figure out where they’ve scampered off to. Noah deduces that Samuel wants Claire to watch her daddy die, but Claire’s not willing to give up on Noah just yet. Noah asks Claire’s forgiveness, but Claire says he fixed her identity crisis. But when it looks like he’s dead, Claire starts digging frantically, and Aquagirl Tracy shows up to blast them out. Wonderfully and in true “no one ever dies on this show” fashion, the plan works.
Matt raids his fridge but finds himself face to face to face to face with Multiple Man, playing the mind game card by giving Multiple Man confidence issues and trying to push thoughts. Just as Multiple Man’s ready to knife Matt, all the multiples disappear because Sylar’s ready to be super again. After treading down the same “Sylar’s evil” argument, Peter reads Multiple Man’s mind and figures out Samuel’s plan, but Matt keeps pushing thoughts into Sylar’s head until Sylar proves that he’s reformed. Matt decides to trust them, but he has a plan for Multiple Man.
Meanwhile, Hiro’s all better, but he’s ready to go into battle once more – I love how enamored he is with a combat-ridden destiny. Surprise – he gets a message from Charlie. Major suck – Charlie’s sixty-five years older (convenient). Her memory is still pitch-perfect, but she doesn’t really blame Hiro for what happened to her; after all, Hiro’s got a plan to make things right. Charlie’s not too enthusiastic about Hiro’s plan, mostly because she’s got grandchildren. Destiny – I mean, Noah – calls, and Hiro starts a new journey.
Samuel promises he’s going to “change everything” by coming out as “king of the hill.” Edgar and Doyle like this idea, and so does everyone else; heck, who doesn’t love a good field trip to
Noah, Claire, Peter, and Sylar all converge on the carnival. Sylar volunteers to save Emma, but Peter has apprehensions; Noah gets kidnapped by Edgar, and Doyle puts the kibosh on Sylar’s big plan. Claire spills the beans on Samuel’s big plan, but none of the transvestite carnies believe her, and Edgar reveals that he’s working from the inside to bring down Samuel. Emma uses her cello blasting powers to knock Doyle down, and Sylar flabbergasts Doyle by “coming out” as a hero.
Samuel’s big confrontation scene shows up when Multiple Man reveals that Samuel had him kill
Verdict? For better or for worse, this season’s over, and I think the show turned around after a dull stint in the middle there. This season might be better than a lot of previous seasons, but it definitely lost some steam in the middle. Fortunately, the finale brought it back around to being exciting. I’ll be interested to see what direction the show takes next, and I’m at least optimistic about the idea of a new season. And can I just say – perfect casting for Old Charlie!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Mysteries of LOST - Jughead (Top Pop Stop Series Finale)
With LOST premiering tonight, it's the series finale of "Mysteries of LOST" here at The Top Pop Stop... we've never had to kill off a segment before. *sniff sniff*
Previously on LOST: After some survivors were stranded in 1977, Daniel calculated that they could reset time by detonating the Jughead bomb at the Swan site, releasing the electromagnetism that would later cause Oceanic 815 to crash. Juliet detonated the bomb, but what happens next remains to be seen.
One of these things is not like the other: Jack, Kate, Miles, Sun. Lilia guessed correctly - Sun, who's in 2007. That brings her to 3-0.
Well, cat's kind of out of the bag. The first four minutes, officially released by ABC, reveal that Oceanic 815 NEVER CRASHED in the new timeline. So, there's that.
We did some dramatic re-interpretations of key LOST scenes - Locke explaining backgammon and Mouse Trap - and decided these are metaphors for the games beign played out between Jacob and his Nemesis.
Lilia wants to see Claire tonight, while Zach's dying to see Jacob's Nemesis/UnLocke revealed as the smoke monster (which Lilia thinks won't happen until episode 4).
Previously on LOST: After some survivors were stranded in 1977, Daniel calculated that they could reset time by detonating the Jughead bomb at the Swan site, releasing the electromagnetism that would later cause Oceanic 815 to crash. Juliet detonated the bomb, but what happens next remains to be seen.
One of these things is not like the other: Jack, Kate, Miles, Sun. Lilia guessed correctly - Sun, who's in 2007. That brings her to 3-0.
Well, cat's kind of out of the bag. The first four minutes, officially released by ABC, reveal that Oceanic 815 NEVER CRASHED in the new timeline. So, there's that.
We did some dramatic re-interpretations of key LOST scenes - Locke explaining backgammon and Mouse Trap - and decided these are metaphors for the games beign played out between Jacob and his Nemesis.
Lilia wants to see Claire tonight, while Zach's dying to see Jacob's Nemesis/UnLocke revealed as the smoke monster (which Lilia thinks won't happen until episode 4).
Oscar Watch!!!
With Oscar nominations announced today, The Top Pop Stop is here to help you decide who to root for (note: this is not betting/gambling advice, but if you win, give us a cut).
Best Picture:
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Director
Best Picture:
- Avatar
- The Blind Side
- District 9
- An Education
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglourious Basterds
- Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
- A Serious Man
- Up
- Up in the Air
Best Actor
- Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
- George Clooney for Up in the Air
- Colin Firth for A Single Man
- Morgan Freeman for Invictus
- Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker
Best Actress
- Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
- Helen Mirren for The Last Station
- Carey Mulligan for An Education
- Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
- Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia
Best Supporting Actor
- Matt Damon for Invictus
- Woody Harrelson for The Messenger
- Christopher Plummer for The Last Station
- Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones
- Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress
- Penélope Cruz for Nine
- Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air
- Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart
- Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air
- Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Best Director
- Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
- James Cameron for Avatar
- Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
- Jason Reitman for Up in the Air
- Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds
Weekend Watch - Feb. 5, 2010
Love and death rematch this weekend!
Dear John - Channing Tatum is a soldier who goes to war; Amanda Seyfried misses him. Nicolas Sparks, muscles, and tears - chick flick much? Lilia's guaranteeing you'll cry at least seven times or no money back.
From Paris with Love - John Travolta shoots things in a movie directed by the guy who brought you "Taken." Don't be fooled into thinking this is a romantic movie; boys only.
Dear John - Channing Tatum is a soldier who goes to war; Amanda Seyfried misses him. Nicolas Sparks, muscles, and tears - chick flick much? Lilia's guaranteeing you'll cry at least seven times or no money back.
From Paris with Love - John Travolta shoots things in a movie directed by the guy who brought you "Taken." Don't be fooled into thinking this is a romantic movie; boys only.
Tops at the Box Office - Jan. 29, 2010
- Avatar
- Edge of Darkness (first weekend)
- When in Rome (first weekend)
- Tooth Fairy
- The Book of Eli
- Legion
- The Lovely Bones
- Sherlock Holmes
- Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
- It's Complicated
Zach's Heroes Watch - "The Wall"
Previously on Heroes: Samuel surrendered but schemed his way out of it, Noah’s a captive, and Peter’s going into Sylar’s noggin to fix Matt’s dastardly deeds.
Sylar’s cranium has space to rent, so Peter goes in looking for him. Sylar’s as time-displaced as a Lostie, but he doesn’t want Peter to come in and fix him. Peter insists that Sylar has to save Emma, but he’s uncomfortable with being a savior and even more unhappy that he’s stuck forever. Sylar gets snarky, Peter gets punchy, and Emma’s probably a goner.
Peter and Sylar walk around The Matrix and can’t figure out how it works, but Peter pieces it together that Sylar unconsciously wants to be here because he earned it. But they find “the wall” – the one Sylar’s buried behind. The old sledgehammer trick doesn’t work on the wall, but Sylar starts feeling guilty about killing Nathan and gets pissy about being stuck behind the wall. Sylar brandishes a sledgehammer menacingly, but he’s only going to help. Good for him!
Armsling Samuel has Claire in captivity, and he’s trying to convince Claire that Noah’s a bad dude. They meet up with Damian, and Samuel finally explains that Damian can reveal people’s memories – they turn him loose on Noah. Turns out Noah used to be a car salesman married to Not-Sandra, who was pregnant; attacked by a superpowered delivery man, Noah watched Not-Sandra die. Claire seems really uncomfortable with all of this.
Claire deduces that Noah’s run-in with Mr. Ability made him want to start bagging and tagging; it also led to a curious geography fetish and superstalking, trying to find Not-Sandra’s killer. Claire’s still uncomfortable. As car salesman, Noah was hired by Eric Roberts (Thompson) to work with Primatech – The Company. Two years later, Eric Roberts has Noah start up a family, suggesting sandwich waitress Sandra (perfect). Things get really awkward when Claire learns that Noah visited Gretchen, trying to find his daughter after she scampered off to the carnival and threatening to use the Haitian (good to see he’s okay after the earthquake).
At the carnival, Lauren meets Emma and tries to explain what Samuel’s master plan is. But when Samuel comes to her tent, Lauren hides, and Emma spills the beans; Samuel just wants to talk, but he’s in creeper mode. He’s not up for negotiations, and he blames the world for his badness. He promises Multiple Man that they’re going to “put on the best show” they can and goes to gather the family, leaving Multiple Man with Lauren.
Claire tells Samuel she’s not falling for her tricks, because she knows he didn’t kill Lydia. Samuel says it’s about trust, but Claire loves her daddy too much. Samuel reveals he wants to take his show to Central Park and that he wants Claire to be his legacy – she refuses, but Samuel says he isn’t counting her out yet. Multiple Man covers up sloppy writing by revealing that Lauren escaped, but Samuel’s not fazed because he’s going to bury the souvenir trailer – with Claire and Noah in it.
Peter buys Sylar a book, and they have a heart-to-heart about whether or not Sylar deserves to be forgiven. Just when Peter thinks Sylar has changed, the wall starts crumbling – with a white flash and a close-up of an eye (jeez, steal from LOST some more), they’re out, and Sylar joins the A-Team… except Multiple Man is going to stop them. And Noah & Claire are still buried alive. Suck.
Verdict? Leave the flashbacks to LOST, Heroes. I can’t say I was very interested in this episode, and the only thing that really keeps me watching (aside from a sense of obligation to you, the reader) is Robert Knepper, who’s back in evil-mode as Samuel. Maybe I’m just in that mindset, but this episode really felt like it was stealing a lot of thunder from LOST – not a good thing. Is this season finale going to be a series finale? God, I hope so.
Sylar’s cranium has space to rent, so Peter goes in looking for him. Sylar’s as time-displaced as a Lostie, but he doesn’t want Peter to come in and fix him. Peter insists that Sylar has to save Emma, but he’s uncomfortable with being a savior and even more unhappy that he’s stuck forever. Sylar gets snarky, Peter gets punchy, and Emma’s probably a goner.
Peter and Sylar walk around The Matrix and can’t figure out how it works, but Peter pieces it together that Sylar unconsciously wants to be here because he earned it. But they find “the wall” – the one Sylar’s buried behind. The old sledgehammer trick doesn’t work on the wall, but Sylar starts feeling guilty about killing Nathan and gets pissy about being stuck behind the wall. Sylar brandishes a sledgehammer menacingly, but he’s only going to help. Good for him!
Armsling Samuel has Claire in captivity, and he’s trying to convince Claire that Noah’s a bad dude. They meet up with Damian, and Samuel finally explains that Damian can reveal people’s memories – they turn him loose on Noah. Turns out Noah used to be a car salesman married to Not-Sandra, who was pregnant; attacked by a superpowered delivery man, Noah watched Not-Sandra die. Claire seems really uncomfortable with all of this.
Claire deduces that Noah’s run-in with Mr. Ability made him want to start bagging and tagging; it also led to a curious geography fetish and superstalking, trying to find Not-Sandra’s killer. Claire’s still uncomfortable. As car salesman, Noah was hired by Eric Roberts (Thompson) to work with Primatech – The Company. Two years later, Eric Roberts has Noah start up a family, suggesting sandwich waitress Sandra (perfect). Things get really awkward when Claire learns that Noah visited Gretchen, trying to find his daughter after she scampered off to the carnival and threatening to use the Haitian (good to see he’s okay after the earthquake).
At the carnival, Lauren meets Emma and tries to explain what Samuel’s master plan is. But when Samuel comes to her tent, Lauren hides, and Emma spills the beans; Samuel just wants to talk, but he’s in creeper mode. He’s not up for negotiations, and he blames the world for his badness. He promises Multiple Man that they’re going to “put on the best show” they can and goes to gather the family, leaving Multiple Man with Lauren.
Claire tells Samuel she’s not falling for her tricks, because she knows he didn’t kill Lydia. Samuel says it’s about trust, but Claire loves her daddy too much. Samuel reveals he wants to take his show to Central Park and that he wants Claire to be his legacy – she refuses, but Samuel says he isn’t counting her out yet. Multiple Man covers up sloppy writing by revealing that Lauren escaped, but Samuel’s not fazed because he’s going to bury the souvenir trailer – with Claire and Noah in it.
Peter buys Sylar a book, and they have a heart-to-heart about whether or not Sylar deserves to be forgiven. Just when Peter thinks Sylar has changed, the wall starts crumbling – with a white flash and a close-up of an eye (jeez, steal from LOST some more), they’re out, and Sylar joins the A-Team… except Multiple Man is going to stop them. And Noah & Claire are still buried alive. Suck.
Verdict? Leave the flashbacks to LOST, Heroes. I can’t say I was very interested in this episode, and the only thing that really keeps me watching (aside from a sense of obligation to you, the reader) is Robert Knepper, who’s back in evil-mode as Samuel. Maybe I’m just in that mindset, but this episode really felt like it was stealing a lot of thunder from LOST – not a good thing. Is this season finale going to be a series finale? God, I hope so.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Mysteries of LOST - Misc.
Previously on LOST: Good, evil, black, white, rules.
One of these things is not like the other: Hurley, Desmond, Sawyer, Miles. Lilia guessed Sawyer - she's 2-0 now! (Sawyer doesn't have an ability.)
We're curious - if there are rules that say Ben and Widmore can't kill each other, and the same rules apply to Jacob and Jacob's Nemesis, who's the good guy here - Ben or Widmore? Lilia is afraid it's Widmore, even though we haven't been paying much attention to him, but Zach is keen on Ben, who's just very interesting.
Furthermore, Lilia's intrigued by the "Big Bang theory" of LOST - what came first? (Zach thinks the statue is a tribute to the island's first inhabitant.)
One of these things is not like the other: Hurley, Desmond, Sawyer, Miles. Lilia guessed Sawyer - she's 2-0 now! (Sawyer doesn't have an ability.)
We're curious - if there are rules that say Ben and Widmore can't kill each other, and the same rules apply to Jacob and Jacob's Nemesis, who's the good guy here - Ben or Widmore? Lilia is afraid it's Widmore, even though we haven't been paying much attention to him, but Zach is keen on Ben, who's just very interesting.
Furthermore, Lilia's intrigued by the "Big Bang theory" of LOST - what came first? (Zach thinks the statue is a tribute to the island's first inhabitant.)
Sue's Corner - Glee's Back (Again)
The LA Times is reporting something that Gleeks everywhere have dreamed of - "Glee" is coming back for a second season.. Check out the link for full details, as well as a super fetch promotional poster.
One major problem - Glee's going to be on Tuesdays in April. Sorry, Glee, but we already have a date with LOST. Oh, hi Hulu...
And that's how Sue C's it.
One major problem - Glee's going to be on Tuesdays in April. Sorry, Glee, but we already have a date with LOST. Oh, hi Hulu...
And that's how Sue C's it.
How'd It Get Burned This Week? - Jan. 26, 2010
Nic's lying low this week, but here's what national treasures we managed to dig up this week.
CNBC reports that Nic's Vegas home, victim to foreclosure, has sold to a lucky bidder for almost $5 million. Though this is a 40% loss for Cage, it's a 100% win for CNBC, who wins the "Pun of the Week" award for "Nicolas Cage Leaving Las Vegas."
Jaunter tells us that filming is moving right ahead on The Hungry Rabbit Jumps in New Orleans. Nic's no stranger to Nawlins, having sold his haunted house there last year (I'm not kidding, that's not a joke).
And, just in time for Valentine's Day, get your sweetest exactly what he or she has always been looking for - a Nic Cage sticker set, courtesy of Brandon Bird. These stickers are reusable and are so funny that Lilia had to leave the booth in tears of laughter.
CNBC reports that Nic's Vegas home, victim to foreclosure, has sold to a lucky bidder for almost $5 million. Though this is a 40% loss for Cage, it's a 100% win for CNBC, who wins the "Pun of the Week" award for "Nicolas Cage Leaving Las Vegas."
Jaunter tells us that filming is moving right ahead on The Hungry Rabbit Jumps in New Orleans. Nic's no stranger to Nawlins, having sold his haunted house there last year (I'm not kidding, that's not a joke).
And, just in time for Valentine's Day, get your sweetest exactly what he or she has always been looking for - a Nic Cage sticker set, courtesy of Brandon Bird. These stickers are reusable and are so funny that Lilia had to leave the booth in tears of laughter.
Weekend Watch - Jan. 29, 2010
You're either killing people or falling in love this weekend. No real clear win this week, but boys and girls are going to have to split up.
When in Rome - Kristen Bell steals money (it's all okay) and falls in love with Josh Duhamel... in Rome. Love, broken vases, and guys walking into trees. (Hint - this is the girl movie)
Edge of Darkness - Mel Gibson does The Departed when his daughter's killed. Guns, anger, and explosions.
When in Rome - Kristen Bell steals money (it's all okay) and falls in love with Josh Duhamel... in Rome. Love, broken vases, and guys walking into trees. (Hint - this is the girl movie)
Edge of Darkness - Mel Gibson does The Departed when his daughter's killed. Guns, anger, and explosions.
Tops at the Box Office - Jan. 22, 2010
- Avatar
- Legion (first weekend)
- The Book of Eli
- Tooth Fairy (first weekend)
- The Lovely Bones
- Sherlock Holmes
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
- Extraordinary Measures (first weekend)
- It's Complicated
- The Spy Next Door
Zach's Heroes Watch - "The Art of Deception"
Previously on Heroes: Claire’s angsty, Emma’s probably evil, and Sylar’s lonely.
Samuel’s angsty, too, which creeps out the carnival – especially Lydia, who Samuel thinks is replacing Joseph. But Samuel just wants to prove that he’s a nice guy again, so he sulks off to go be dastardly again.
Peter’s having bad dreams about Emma, and Mama’s still sad about Nathan. Peter says Sylar can save Emma, but Mama reminds him that Sylar’s not a nice guy. Peter does his “serious voice” and convinces Mama to tell him where Sylar is.
Fortunately, Sylar’s still entertaining – being inside Matt’s head “was so two months ago.” He’s playing houseguest at Matt’s house and wants to catch up, but Matt knows he’s still a bad guy. Sylar’s amazed that Matt can just live with his ability, so he asks Matt to take his powers away. Matt gives it a try, but it doesn’t work; Janice comes home and surprises them, so Sylar reacts adversely and threatens “being creative.” But Matt talks Sylar down and gives it another try, and this time it works, but there’s a catch – Sylar still gets to live forever, but Matt trapped him in a weird nightmare and then buries him in the basement.
Just when you thought it was safe to bury Sylar, Peter shows up and steals Matt’s power, finding out that Sylar is almost buried alive. But as Peter goes in to try to fix everything, Matt traps him in his head, too.
Gretchen forces Claire to come clean about her Sylar encounter, so Claire finally gives in and pays a visit to her dad – but Lauren opens the door. Awk-ward. Claire’s cool with Lauren getting romantic with Noah, but she’s not okay with the Primatech files coming out of storage. When Lauren tells Claire about Samuel’s latest landslide, Claire gets peeved and ditches. Gretchen tells Claire to go to class, and Noah loads up his rifle.
Meanwhile, Claire’s visiting Samuel to try to get him to surrender, but Noah’s ready to go all sniper on Samuel, so Lauren goes to walk him out. Samuel delivers an emotional apology, but someone shoots him anyway and then tags Claire in the throat. Even though it seems like Noah’s doing the firing, it’s actually Multiple Man, who shoots Lauren and Lydia, too. It’s like the writers are just cleaning house at this point.
Samuel apologizes to Lydia, and any viewer with a brain figures out that Samuel ordered Multiple Man to do it. Just in case we had any questions, Samuel then explains the plot to Lydia and the viewers before Lydia dies. Claire has problems believing that her dad shot all those people, but Multiple Man drags Noah to the carnival and tosses him into the house of mirrors.
Then Emma joins the carnival – yay? She patches up Samuel, and Edgar comes back to say goodbye to Lydia while Lauren sends out a call for help – to Tracy. Samuel promises that the carnival is going to come clean with the rest of the world.
Verdict? Well, at least Samuel’s evil again, but it feels a little like the writers are stretching. Samuel’s super smart in this episode, and hopefully this is a return to form for what used to be my favorite character on the show. What’s more, Sylar’s plotline got really interesting this week, and we got a pretty nifty new side to Matt; finally, someone trapped Peter in his own emo noggin. But are we gearing up for a Sylar/Samuel smackdown?
Samuel’s angsty, too, which creeps out the carnival – especially Lydia, who Samuel thinks is replacing Joseph. But Samuel just wants to prove that he’s a nice guy again, so he sulks off to go be dastardly again.
Peter’s having bad dreams about Emma, and Mama’s still sad about Nathan. Peter says Sylar can save Emma, but Mama reminds him that Sylar’s not a nice guy. Peter does his “serious voice” and convinces Mama to tell him where Sylar is.
Fortunately, Sylar’s still entertaining – being inside Matt’s head “was so two months ago.” He’s playing houseguest at Matt’s house and wants to catch up, but Matt knows he’s still a bad guy. Sylar’s amazed that Matt can just live with his ability, so he asks Matt to take his powers away. Matt gives it a try, but it doesn’t work; Janice comes home and surprises them, so Sylar reacts adversely and threatens “being creative.” But Matt talks Sylar down and gives it another try, and this time it works, but there’s a catch – Sylar still gets to live forever, but Matt trapped him in a weird nightmare and then buries him in the basement.
Just when you thought it was safe to bury Sylar, Peter shows up and steals Matt’s power, finding out that Sylar is almost buried alive. But as Peter goes in to try to fix everything, Matt traps him in his head, too.
Gretchen forces Claire to come clean about her Sylar encounter, so Claire finally gives in and pays a visit to her dad – but Lauren opens the door. Awk-ward. Claire’s cool with Lauren getting romantic with Noah, but she’s not okay with the Primatech files coming out of storage. When Lauren tells Claire about Samuel’s latest landslide, Claire gets peeved and ditches. Gretchen tells Claire to go to class, and Noah loads up his rifle.
Meanwhile, Claire’s visiting Samuel to try to get him to surrender, but Noah’s ready to go all sniper on Samuel, so Lauren goes to walk him out. Samuel delivers an emotional apology, but someone shoots him anyway and then tags Claire in the throat. Even though it seems like Noah’s doing the firing, it’s actually Multiple Man, who shoots Lauren and Lydia, too. It’s like the writers are just cleaning house at this point.
Samuel apologizes to Lydia, and any viewer with a brain figures out that Samuel ordered Multiple Man to do it. Just in case we had any questions, Samuel then explains the plot to Lydia and the viewers before Lydia dies. Claire has problems believing that her dad shot all those people, but Multiple Man drags Noah to the carnival and tosses him into the house of mirrors.
Then Emma joins the carnival – yay? She patches up Samuel, and Edgar comes back to say goodbye to Lydia while Lauren sends out a call for help – to Tracy. Samuel promises that the carnival is going to come clean with the rest of the world.
Verdict? Well, at least Samuel’s evil again, but it feels a little like the writers are stretching. Samuel’s super smart in this episode, and hopefully this is a return to form for what used to be my favorite character on the show. What’s more, Sylar’s plotline got really interesting this week, and we got a pretty nifty new side to Matt; finally, someone trapped Peter in his own emo noggin. But are we gearing up for a Sylar/Samuel smackdown?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Zach's Heroes Watch - "Pass/Fail"
Previously on Heroes: Sylar’s gonna die alone, Hiro is dying even though Charlie’s still missing, and Samuel is in love. (Also previously on Heroes: I forgot to do this for the last episode. Oopsy-daisy.)
Claire’s being quiet, but she doesn’t want to talk about it; Gretchen can’t take a hint and puts a move on Claire which gets awkward. Then Sylar shows up for some reason, pretending to be a study tutor. Sylar needs help getting his murder mojo back, and he’s holding Gretchen hostage until that happens, so he starts making a list of formative things in common, wondering why they’re so different. All this, it turns out, was just a way for Sylar to get into Claire’s pants, using Lydia’s power to read her mind (sure, Sylar, “power”).
Sylar’s been watching the series closely, because he’s picking up on a lot of awkward subtext between Claire and Gretchen. In response, Claire jams a pencil in Sylar’s eye and goes to rescue Gretchen. They hide in a broom closet as Claire opens up to Gretchen about being alone and says Sylar needs to lose his powers to be human again. Surprise! – Sylar was pretending to be Gretchen the whole time, and he shifts back once Claire’s at her most touchy-feely. So Claire goes and makes nice with real-Gretchen, even going so far as to hold her hand.
Hiro passes out at Noah’s and wakes up in a weird purgatory diner with Judge Sulu and Prosecutor Adam Monroe, with Hiro’s life on the line as punishment for misusing his ability and messing with the time/space continuum. While Ando brings Hiro’s body to a hospital, Hiro appoints Ando his lawyer in the dream court as Adam calls young Adam to the stand about the infamous slushy incident. Adam then calls Sylar, who says that Hiro allowed him to continue killing – and even encouraged him. Adam continues to taunt Hiro by reminding us that Charlie is lost in time (Fox, Hiro! She’s on Fox!), and then he rests his case.
Ando gets to call a witness, but he’s not a stellar lawyer, and all he comes up with is Hiro, who initially protests but rolls with it. Ando proves that Hiro didn’t actually use his power for personal gain, but Judge Sulu still finds him guilty. Hiro changes his plea to maintain honor; Judge Sulu’s cool with that and lets him dream-duel Adam, who he soundly defeats before stepping into the light (mixed metaphor, Heroes) and conveniently getting healed by his mother.
To be endearing, Samuel reminds Vanessa of the time he broke her record player, only to tell her he fixed it; he tries to get her to split a milkshake with him, but she’s not quite biting. Finally, he reminds her of their dream house, which gets her melting like butter for him, especially when he shows her the paradise that Homeless Poison Ivy made, replete with cottage. But she realizes it’s just a fantasy, which peeves Samuel a little bit before he storms off.
In what seems a little forced, Samuel goes and listens to “Lonesome Town” in the jukebox before scaring the wits out of a milkshake hostess. Tired of trying to fit in, Samuel wrecks the ice cream parlor with his ability, even rocking the carnival before totally demolishing Homeless Poison Ivy’s garden. In the last second, Sylar shows up at Matt’s house and asks where Matt is; Matt’s wife kind of recognizes him.
Verdict? I’m really glad to see Adam Monroe back, mostly because the show lost one of its most charismatic actors when he got turned to dust back in Season Three. One thing that seemed a little hokey was Sylar’s nature vs. nurture course, but then he’s always been sort of a wacky character who does things like this every once in a while. The stuff with Gretchen and Claire was a real snoozefest, but Hiro on trial was actually kind of fun once you got over the kitschy aspect of it. I’m glad Samuel gets back to being extra-bad in the next episode, which might be the best thing that ever happened to this show; enough of this wishy-washy angsty baloney!
Claire’s being quiet, but she doesn’t want to talk about it; Gretchen can’t take a hint and puts a move on Claire which gets awkward. Then Sylar shows up for some reason, pretending to be a study tutor. Sylar needs help getting his murder mojo back, and he’s holding Gretchen hostage until that happens, so he starts making a list of formative things in common, wondering why they’re so different. All this, it turns out, was just a way for Sylar to get into Claire’s pants, using Lydia’s power to read her mind (sure, Sylar, “power”).
Sylar’s been watching the series closely, because he’s picking up on a lot of awkward subtext between Claire and Gretchen. In response, Claire jams a pencil in Sylar’s eye and goes to rescue Gretchen. They hide in a broom closet as Claire opens up to Gretchen about being alone and says Sylar needs to lose his powers to be human again. Surprise! – Sylar was pretending to be Gretchen the whole time, and he shifts back once Claire’s at her most touchy-feely. So Claire goes and makes nice with real-Gretchen, even going so far as to hold her hand.
Hiro passes out at Noah’s and wakes up in a weird purgatory diner with Judge Sulu and Prosecutor Adam Monroe, with Hiro’s life on the line as punishment for misusing his ability and messing with the time/space continuum. While Ando brings Hiro’s body to a hospital, Hiro appoints Ando his lawyer in the dream court as Adam calls young Adam to the stand about the infamous slushy incident. Adam then calls Sylar, who says that Hiro allowed him to continue killing – and even encouraged him. Adam continues to taunt Hiro by reminding us that Charlie is lost in time (Fox, Hiro! She’s on Fox!), and then he rests his case.
Ando gets to call a witness, but he’s not a stellar lawyer, and all he comes up with is Hiro, who initially protests but rolls with it. Ando proves that Hiro didn’t actually use his power for personal gain, but Judge Sulu still finds him guilty. Hiro changes his plea to maintain honor; Judge Sulu’s cool with that and lets him dream-duel Adam, who he soundly defeats before stepping into the light (mixed metaphor, Heroes) and conveniently getting healed by his mother.
To be endearing, Samuel reminds Vanessa of the time he broke her record player, only to tell her he fixed it; he tries to get her to split a milkshake with him, but she’s not quite biting. Finally, he reminds her of their dream house, which gets her melting like butter for him, especially when he shows her the paradise that Homeless Poison Ivy made, replete with cottage. But she realizes it’s just a fantasy, which peeves Samuel a little bit before he storms off.
In what seems a little forced, Samuel goes and listens to “Lonesome Town” in the jukebox before scaring the wits out of a milkshake hostess. Tired of trying to fit in, Samuel wrecks the ice cream parlor with his ability, even rocking the carnival before totally demolishing Homeless Poison Ivy’s garden. In the last second, Sylar shows up at Matt’s house and asks where Matt is; Matt’s wife kind of recognizes him.
Verdict? I’m really glad to see Adam Monroe back, mostly because the show lost one of its most charismatic actors when he got turned to dust back in Season Three. One thing that seemed a little hokey was Sylar’s nature vs. nurture course, but then he’s always been sort of a wacky character who does things like this every once in a while. The stuff with Gretchen and Claire was a real snoozefest, but Hiro on trial was actually kind of fun once you got over the kitschy aspect of it. I’m glad Samuel gets back to being extra-bad in the next episode, which might be the best thing that ever happened to this show; enough of this wishy-washy angsty baloney!
Zach's Heroes Watch - "Close to You"
Noah narrates about how the world is bad and how Claire is all sunshiney, but he’s getting kind of desperate and obsessed about finding Samuel, but he won’t call Claire to use her compass (didn’t she steal it from him in the first place?). But Lauren gets a miracle lead on Vanessa Wheeler, Samuel’s lady love who lived in the estate he dismantled a few episodes ago, only Vanessa’s not willing to talk.
Now Sylar-free, Matt’s playing housewife and cooking ratatouille, but Noah breaks in and pays him a visit to get Matt to leave the house. So Noah and Matt surprise Vanessa with questions about Samuel; one psychic encouragement later, Vanessa’s spilling the beans about Samuel, her childhood sweetie turned stalker. Noah decides to arrange a meet, where Samuel and Multiple Man show up and escape with Vanessa; Samuel warns Noah to stay away, causing an earthquake and a meteorological hot mess before scampering away. Fortunately Noah and Matt can track Vanessa.
Matt tries to get Noah to patch things up with Claire while tracking the moving carnival, but Matt runs home to lock his doors while telling Noah to “get his own house in order” before trying to save the world. Noah tries, but Claire’s got “a thing” she’s late for; one pout later, Noah sulks away. Matt’s ratatouille (Mattatouille?) is a big hit, but his angst isn’t.
Samuel sends Lydia on a Staples run for ink supplies, but she’s a little peeved that the carnival keeps losing people, accusing Samuel of only following his dream; he doesn’t exactly deny it, but he says he’s ready to bring Vanessa in. Vanessa tells her daughter that she thinks the carnival needs a new leader, but of course she won’t tell us who it is.
Hiro commits himself to an asylum that looks suspiciously like the Primatech set from Season Three, where Ando learns that Suresh is hidden (something we learned way back when) and being drugged. The plan? Get Mohinder to hulk out. For comic relief, Ando takes a ton of Mohinder’s meds. Hiro and Watson – er, Mohinder – bust out and drag Comic Relief Ando with them. Mohinder stops being pissy after Ando tells him that Hiro is dying and gets an idea to red-lightning-zap Hiro back into coherence. It works!
Peter’s compass tattoo is painin’, and Emma is playing her cello some more, which lures Peter to her apartment. There have to be easier ways to tell a guy you’re interested. Emma shows Peter her compass bling, but Mama Petrelli is unhappy because Peter has a girl over. Like Dr. King, Mama has a dream that Emma’s going to turn into Darth Cello. Peter nicks his mom’s ability and has the same dream, but this time Sylar tries to save Emma in the dream. Peter wrecks Emma’s cello, but surprisingly she doesn’t take that too well and kicks him out.
At the carnival, Samuel tries to explain why it’s cool that he kidnapped Vanessa by painting Noah as a real stinker, and he promises to show her this sweet piece of real estate. Meanwhile, Lauren returns and makes out big time with Noah before Hiro & Co. teleport in for an awkward moment.
Verdict? The more we learn about Samuel, the less interesting he is for me, and having him be this petulant pining crank is not exactly appealing. I appreciate that he’s getting depth, but I think I like Samuel when he’s ‘just this side of evil’ rather than ‘just this side of misunderstood.’ Noah and Lauren are finally together, which we’ve seen coming about six miles ago. I’m lukewarm on this half-season, since the last half was just so interesting. I want mystery, dagnabbit, not revelations!
Now Sylar-free, Matt’s playing housewife and cooking ratatouille, but Noah breaks in and pays him a visit to get Matt to leave the house. So Noah and Matt surprise Vanessa with questions about Samuel; one psychic encouragement later, Vanessa’s spilling the beans about Samuel, her childhood sweetie turned stalker. Noah decides to arrange a meet, where Samuel and Multiple Man show up and escape with Vanessa; Samuel warns Noah to stay away, causing an earthquake and a meteorological hot mess before scampering away. Fortunately Noah and Matt can track Vanessa.
Matt tries to get Noah to patch things up with Claire while tracking the moving carnival, but Matt runs home to lock his doors while telling Noah to “get his own house in order” before trying to save the world. Noah tries, but Claire’s got “a thing” she’s late for; one pout later, Noah sulks away. Matt’s ratatouille (Mattatouille?) is a big hit, but his angst isn’t.
Samuel sends Lydia on a Staples run for ink supplies, but she’s a little peeved that the carnival keeps losing people, accusing Samuel of only following his dream; he doesn’t exactly deny it, but he says he’s ready to bring Vanessa in. Vanessa tells her daughter that she thinks the carnival needs a new leader, but of course she won’t tell us who it is.
Hiro commits himself to an asylum that looks suspiciously like the Primatech set from Season Three, where Ando learns that Suresh is hidden (something we learned way back when) and being drugged. The plan? Get Mohinder to hulk out. For comic relief, Ando takes a ton of Mohinder’s meds. Hiro and Watson – er, Mohinder – bust out and drag Comic Relief Ando with them. Mohinder stops being pissy after Ando tells him that Hiro is dying and gets an idea to red-lightning-zap Hiro back into coherence. It works!
Peter’s compass tattoo is painin’, and Emma is playing her cello some more, which lures Peter to her apartment. There have to be easier ways to tell a guy you’re interested. Emma shows Peter her compass bling, but Mama Petrelli is unhappy because Peter has a girl over. Like Dr. King, Mama has a dream that Emma’s going to turn into Darth Cello. Peter nicks his mom’s ability and has the same dream, but this time Sylar tries to save Emma in the dream. Peter wrecks Emma’s cello, but surprisingly she doesn’t take that too well and kicks him out.
At the carnival, Samuel tries to explain why it’s cool that he kidnapped Vanessa by painting Noah as a real stinker, and he promises to show her this sweet piece of real estate. Meanwhile, Lauren returns and makes out big time with Noah before Hiro & Co. teleport in for an awkward moment.
Verdict? The more we learn about Samuel, the less interesting he is for me, and having him be this petulant pining crank is not exactly appealing. I appreciate that he’s getting depth, but I think I like Samuel when he’s ‘just this side of evil’ rather than ‘just this side of misunderstood.’ Noah and Lauren are finally together, which we’ve seen coming about six miles ago. I’m lukewarm on this half-season, since the last half was just so interesting. I want mystery, dagnabbit, not revelations!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Mysteries of Lost - Aaron
Previously on LOST: Claire gave birth to Aaron, apparently a special child who wasn't supposed to be raised by anyone but Claire (according to psychic Richard Malkin). The Others were intensely interested in Aaron as the first on-island birth in a long while, but when Claire met Christian in the jungle she scampered off and left Aaron alone. Eventually Aaron found his way into Kate's hands; she raised him off-island but (at the behest of a dream of Claire) she left him with Claire's mother before returning to the island.
One of these things is not like the other: Claire, Claire's mother, Jack, Kate. Lilia's 1-0 on this one, guessing Kate because everyone else is related.
One thing we want to see on Aaron is resolution on is baptism. If he's so important, the baptism has to matter; otherwise "Fire + Water" is a useless episode.
One of these things is not like the other: Claire, Claire's mother, Jack, Kate. Lilia's 1-0 on this one, guessing Kate because everyone else is related.
One thing we want to see on Aaron is resolution on is baptism. If he's so important, the baptism has to matter; otherwise "Fire + Water" is a useless episode.
How'd It Get Burned This Week - Jan. 19, 2010
Things are looking up for Nic Cage!
According to CNN by way of People, Nic Cage is going to pay off his $14 million debt to the IRS.
In other flowers and roses news, People Magazine reports that Nic Cage is NOT being sued for fraud. Huzzah!
The good news just keeps on trucking over on Nic Cage's IMDb page. He's got five movies in the queue, none of which look particularly bad. In fact, Kick-Ass looks downright... well, you get the picture. Hunt down the red-band trailer for Nic in action.
And if you're a little bored this semester, check out niccageaseveryone.blogspot.com. Trust us, it's worth it.
According to CNN by way of People, Nic Cage is going to pay off his $14 million debt to the IRS.
In other flowers and roses news, People Magazine reports that Nic Cage is NOT being sued for fraud. Huzzah!
The good news just keeps on trucking over on Nic Cage's IMDb page. He's got five movies in the queue, none of which look particularly bad. In fact, Kick-Ass looks downright... well, you get the picture. Hunt down the red-band trailer for Nic in action.
And if you're a little bored this semester, check out niccageaseveryone.blogspot.com. Trust us, it's worth it.
Weekend Watch - Jan. 22, 2010
What do angels, fairies, and Brendan Fraser have in common? Besides being things that no one has seen in a while, they're all at the box office this weekend.
Legion - Paul Bettany stars as the only angel who wants to stop the rest of the angels from destroying humanity. You may remember this as the trailer with the neck-biting old lady climbing the walls of a diner. Lilia's not going, but Zach will be in the front row.
Tooth Fairy - Dear "The Rock," please go away. Love, The Top Pop Stop.
Extraordinary Measures - Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser star in this drama about sick kids. I liked this better when it was called "Lorenzo's Oil."
Creation - Oscar bait landing a month too late. Paul Bettany again, this time as Charles Darwin. Good luck finding this anywhere other than next year on a dusty shelf in a Blockbuster near Pasadena.
Legion - Paul Bettany stars as the only angel who wants to stop the rest of the angels from destroying humanity. You may remember this as the trailer with the neck-biting old lady climbing the walls of a diner. Lilia's not going, but Zach will be in the front row.
Tooth Fairy - Dear "The Rock," please go away. Love, The Top Pop Stop.
Extraordinary Measures - Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser star in this drama about sick kids. I liked this better when it was called "Lorenzo's Oil."
Creation - Oscar bait landing a month too late. Paul Bettany again, this time as Charles Darwin. Good luck finding this anywhere other than next year on a dusty shelf in a Blockbuster near Pasadena.
Tops at the Box Office - Weekend of Jan. 15, 2010
- Avatar
- The Book of Eli (first weekend)
- The Lovely Bones
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
- Sherlock Holmes
- The Spy Next Door (first weekend)
- It's Complicated
- Leap Year
- The Blind Side
- Up in the Air
New Time!
Hey, folks!
The Top Pop Stop is rockin' airwaves again on The Source 95.1 - make sure to mark your calendars for Tuesdays, 3-5 p.m. We've got all your favorite segments, plus a few new surprises...
Don't forget to tune in, starting TODAY!
The Top Pop Stop is rockin' airwaves again on The Source 95.1 - make sure to mark your calendars for Tuesdays, 3-5 p.m. We've got all your favorite segments, plus a few new surprises...
Don't forget to tune in, starting TODAY!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Zach's Heroes Watch - "Let It Bleed"
Previously on Heroes: that was an hour ago. Pay attention.
Samuel demonstrates his Picasso power by drawing a picture of someone, but he’s interrupted when Sylar chucks Doyle at him. The two baddest mothers on this show are chewing up the scenery together, so Samuel whips up a twister and wipes out Sylar. Later he wonders why Sylar was unable to kill him, so he sends in Lydia to seduce Sylar. She must be a Spock fan, because she dives right into bed with him. Sylar knows Samuel’s messing with him, so he does what any rebellious young’un does – he gets a tattoo, which tells him that his place isn’t at the carnival but being a creepy flying stalker outside Claire’s window.
Realizing they ended last episode without satisfactorily explaining the emotions we were supposed to be feeling, the writers decide to treat us to a Lost-style flashback moment in which, no surprise, the heroes are sad about Nathan dying (seriously, guys, we’ve been through this before). Peter’s still peeved about Sylar, but Mama nixes revenge even though Claire seems super-set on it. Is Mama trying to fix Claire up with Peter? In the words of my sister, “Yay for sketchiness.” But Peter and Claire have a team-up to save folks during an office shooting; Peter gets all Sam-Jackson-in-Pulp-Fiction on the shooter and saves the day, but not before getting shot. Claire’s peeved about Peter jumping into danger but gives him her power to fix him; New York must have observant paramedics that no one notices this. For some reason, Peter wants Claire to hook up with West again.
At home, Noah’s shadow is doing weird things while Speedy Edgar shows up, but Noah’s such a badass that he tasers him with no questions asked (and with a priceless CSI: Miami reference). So Noah chucks him in a freezer (his secret weakness) and gets ready to interrogate him. Just when things are about to get 24-level interesting, Noah’s new girlfriend shows up and isn’t cool with torture. So Noah tries giving Edgar tea, which works until Edgar thinks Noah might hurt the carnival – so he splits. Noah mulls reconnecting with Claire.
Verdict: I’m sort of unenthusiastic about these new episodes of “Heroes.” I’ve made no bones about falling back in love with the show this season, mostly due to Robert Knepper being awesome, but there’s just something not as charming in these last two episodes. Too many people have too many powers, and I’m really only interested in Samuel’s plot, which the writers seem to be trying to jam into every other plotline on the show. In other news, I hate “Chuck” commercials so much that I’m never watching “Heroes” live again.
Samuel demonstrates his Picasso power by drawing a picture of someone, but he’s interrupted when Sylar chucks Doyle at him. The two baddest mothers on this show are chewing up the scenery together, so Samuel whips up a twister and wipes out Sylar. Later he wonders why Sylar was unable to kill him, so he sends in Lydia to seduce Sylar. She must be a Spock fan, because she dives right into bed with him. Sylar knows Samuel’s messing with him, so he does what any rebellious young’un does – he gets a tattoo, which tells him that his place isn’t at the carnival but being a creepy flying stalker outside Claire’s window.
Realizing they ended last episode without satisfactorily explaining the emotions we were supposed to be feeling, the writers decide to treat us to a Lost-style flashback moment in which, no surprise, the heroes are sad about Nathan dying (seriously, guys, we’ve been through this before). Peter’s still peeved about Sylar, but Mama nixes revenge even though Claire seems super-set on it. Is Mama trying to fix Claire up with Peter? In the words of my sister, “Yay for sketchiness.” But Peter and Claire have a team-up to save folks during an office shooting; Peter gets all Sam-Jackson-in-Pulp-Fiction on the shooter and saves the day, but not before getting shot. Claire’s peeved about Peter jumping into danger but gives him her power to fix him; New York must have observant paramedics that no one notices this. For some reason, Peter wants Claire to hook up with West again.
At home, Noah’s shadow is doing weird things while Speedy Edgar shows up, but Noah’s such a badass that he tasers him with no questions asked (and with a priceless CSI: Miami reference). So Noah chucks him in a freezer (his secret weakness) and gets ready to interrogate him. Just when things are about to get 24-level interesting, Noah’s new girlfriend shows up and isn’t cool with torture. So Noah tries giving Edgar tea, which works until Edgar thinks Noah might hurt the carnival – so he splits. Noah mulls reconnecting with Claire.
Verdict: I’m sort of unenthusiastic about these new episodes of “Heroes.” I’ve made no bones about falling back in love with the show this season, mostly due to Robert Knepper being awesome, but there’s just something not as charming in these last two episodes. Too many people have too many powers, and I’m really only interested in Samuel’s plot, which the writers seem to be trying to jam into every other plotline on the show. In other news, I hate “Chuck” commercials so much that I’m never watching “Heroes” live again.
Zach's Heroes Watch - "Upon This Rock"
Previously on Heroes: Samuel is evil, Emma is deaf, and Hiro is missing.
At the carnival, Claire’s on garbage duty when Lydia talks her into bringing Samuel breakfast; Samuel dodges the question when Claire asks him about his Primatech box, and when she says she’s headed back to school he tells her that’s her choice, confiding in the Multiple Man that she’s not as free as he wants her to think. Samuel flashes-back (what is this, Lost?) to his early attempts to move rocks with his mind as he promises to move “bigger rocks.” Lydia voices her disinterest in the carnival, and I have to wonder why Claire isn’t more perturbed that Samuel has her dad’s files (how does she even know that?). At least she’s rightfully ooked about Multiple Man stalking her, though her idea of running into a House of Mirrors ends up working better than it should have.
Puppetmaster Doyle brings “Barbie” back as a catchphrase when he catches her in Samuel’s trailer and menaces her. But Claire finds out that Samuel killed Joseph and knows that something’s fishy. She wants to get rid of Samuel, and as much as he’s evil, I’ll stop watching if she does. Thank goodness the Multiple Man stops her. But Samuel takes her out into the middle of the desert, which Ian (Poison Ivy) is turning into a Chia pet. Claire’s not too interested, though.
Hiro teleports into the middle of Japan with his mind confused about what pop culture figure he is – he’s either a Jedi, Don Quixote, or a hand aboard the Starship Enterprise. Hilarity ensues until Ando says it’s the brain tumor’s fault. Ando later claims someone “stirred his fanboy brain” and decides to read comic books to figure it out (great plan). Magically, he pieces together that Hiro wants to rescue Mohinder from the mental hospital in Florida.
Emma’s med school apps are in, but she didn’t get accepted. Suddenly Samuel pays her a visit, speaking sign language and talking about his “gift” – he’s the one who sent her the cello, even though he says it was meant for someone else (probably his flashback girlfriend Vanessa). But now he needs her help finding this show’s black male version of Poison Ivy. Turns out he’s a bum, and Emma can play the cello like nobody’s business to lure him in. Finally, her power actually means something.
Oh, yeah, and they faked Nathan’s death in a plane crash. Obligatory funeral scene, even though Nathan’s died so many times that Jean Grey is saying, “Okay, man, enough’s enough.” Don’t worry; I hear he’ll be back in the next issue of Blackest Night.
Verdict? Maybe I’ve been watching too much LOST lately, but “Heroes” didn’t really feel fresh tonight. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good episode and it was interesting, but I’m waiting for the show to surprise me again. It’s nice that Emma’s power actually did something this week instead of look pretty, but she’s got way too many powers at this point. And talk about an absolutely useless final ten minutes.
At the carnival, Claire’s on garbage duty when Lydia talks her into bringing Samuel breakfast; Samuel dodges the question when Claire asks him about his Primatech box, and when she says she’s headed back to school he tells her that’s her choice, confiding in the Multiple Man that she’s not as free as he wants her to think. Samuel flashes-back (what is this, Lost?) to his early attempts to move rocks with his mind as he promises to move “bigger rocks.” Lydia voices her disinterest in the carnival, and I have to wonder why Claire isn’t more perturbed that Samuel has her dad’s files (how does she even know that?). At least she’s rightfully ooked about Multiple Man stalking her, though her idea of running into a House of Mirrors ends up working better than it should have.
Puppetmaster Doyle brings “Barbie” back as a catchphrase when he catches her in Samuel’s trailer and menaces her. But Claire finds out that Samuel killed Joseph and knows that something’s fishy. She wants to get rid of Samuel, and as much as he’s evil, I’ll stop watching if she does. Thank goodness the Multiple Man stops her. But Samuel takes her out into the middle of the desert, which Ian (Poison Ivy) is turning into a Chia pet. Claire’s not too interested, though.
Hiro teleports into the middle of Japan with his mind confused about what pop culture figure he is – he’s either a Jedi, Don Quixote, or a hand aboard the Starship Enterprise. Hilarity ensues until Ando says it’s the brain tumor’s fault. Ando later claims someone “stirred his fanboy brain” and decides to read comic books to figure it out (great plan). Magically, he pieces together that Hiro wants to rescue Mohinder from the mental hospital in Florida.
Emma’s med school apps are in, but she didn’t get accepted. Suddenly Samuel pays her a visit, speaking sign language and talking about his “gift” – he’s the one who sent her the cello, even though he says it was meant for someone else (probably his flashback girlfriend Vanessa). But now he needs her help finding this show’s black male version of Poison Ivy. Turns out he’s a bum, and Emma can play the cello like nobody’s business to lure him in. Finally, her power actually means something.
Oh, yeah, and they faked Nathan’s death in a plane crash. Obligatory funeral scene, even though Nathan’s died so many times that Jean Grey is saying, “Okay, man, enough’s enough.” Don’t worry; I hear he’ll be back in the next issue of Blackest Night.
Verdict? Maybe I’ve been watching too much LOST lately, but “Heroes” didn’t really feel fresh tonight. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good episode and it was interesting, but I’m waiting for the show to surprise me again. It’s nice that Emma’s power actually did something this week instead of look pretty, but she’s got way too many powers at this point. And talk about an absolutely useless final ten minutes.
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