Khaleesi's crazy hair day

Negative overhype: Thoughts on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Zack Snyder's biggest problem may be his tendency to take his subject matter a tad too seriously. He teeters on the very brink of the comically melodramatic. One cannot fault him for attempting to infuse the superhero genre with human interest and emotion. On the other hand, he takes a risk in attempting to paint characters like Superman as poignant figures. I was one of the few who appreciated this aspect of Man of Steel. If you can ignore what happens at the end, Man of Steel's flaw was in its pacing, something that could have been easily fixed with some creative editing.

Now Snyder's back at it with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While continuing to paint Superman as a poignant figure, Snyder revisits Batman's origins. Yes, moviegoers have grown weary of having origin stories retold time and again. In this case, however, Snyder gets a pass because a significant detail has bearing on the story he's telling, one that he patiently unfolds one corner at a time. This results in what begins as a slower-paced film than many may not like but culminates, I argue, in a more satisfying finished product.

If you've paid any attention to media headlines relating to Batman v Superman, you're probably under the impression that it's bad enough to be a Razzie contender. It's not. Ignore the hype and the negative reviews. As far as superhero films goes, Dawn of Justice is a good one. Anyone who's been following Warner Studios' playbook for its DC Comics film offerings knows that this chapter establishes the foundation on which a series of Justice League films will be built. The hype machine would have you believe that this film is such a colossal failure that the Justice League may not happen. That would be a real shame, especially if the film fails at the box office because of critics piling on with negative reviews.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens with a scene that sets up the central conflict between the titular heroes, namely, that Superman is too powerful, a loose cannon who is as great a danger to the people he aims to protect as the threats against which he's fighting. While the rivalry between the two heroes feels somewhat contrived (and in one sense it is, given that it orchestration by a particular individual), it effectively drives the film toward the inevitable confrontation. The subplot strands seem meandering but are in fact connected. It's not the most tidily plotted story, but one can easily understand where it's headed.

In spite of the slow beginnings, it's clear the story is leading somewhere, and the tension ratchets steadily higher as it climbs toward the climax. Clumsy at times and hamhanded, the plot remains engrossing and pulls the players together in interesting ways.

Mostly, however, the film is enjoyable for the characters. Jesse Eisenberg is clever and manic as a young Lex Luthor. You cannot help but pay attention when he's onscreen, though at times his portrayal of Luthor seems a bit too erratic. Luthor is an intelligent, confident, calculating individual, so Eisenberg's interpretation seems a little off target. But he's still highly enjoyable to watch, and it will be interesting to watch this character develop in future installments.

Henry Caville just plain looks like he belongs in the Superman suit. The relationship with Lois humanizes him and makes him a more sympathetic character. But I have to wonder why he hasn't been fired from his job because I don't think he completed a single assignment over the course of the film.

As much as fans grumbled about it, I liked Ben Affleck as Batman. There's great potential for him to bring more personality to the role and make the films more entertaining and less stiff. Only a few times did we see glimpses of this in Dawn of Justice, but the stage has been set for a whole new take on the Batman. I especially enjoyed the scenes showing Wayne working out to prepare for his battle with the Man of Steel. It was hardcore tires and chains kind of stuff. I have no doubt that the Batman Workout Plan is on its way. "Are you tired of Superman kicking sand in your face? Then work out like a Bat!"

Batman and Superman get their name in the title of the film, but Wonder Woman really steals the show. Gal Gadot plays Diana Prince perfectly with the poise, confidence, and even cockiness appropriate to the Amazonian. Never mind that she saves Batman's arse, she also throws herself into battle with reckless abandon. She is fearless and revels in the challenge of going toe-to-toe with Doomsday.

When Wonder Woman makes her official appearance onscreen, the film takes on a whole new personality. It becomes the kind of action adventure romp we've come to expect from those other guys, you know, Marvel Studios. And I think this is more what DC fans want. Give Snyder some credit for not selling out into that formula, but the taste we got of it at the end of Dawn of Justice really made the film worth the build-up and the wait.

Dawn of Justice contains a number of references pointing to the future of the franchise, and we can only hope it all comes to fruition. It adopts the term "metahumans" to refer to individuals with super powers. Diana Prince peruses a number of files purloined from Luthor's computer that profile the metahumans who will make up at least the initial Justice League team, including Aquaman, the Flash and Cyborg. Speaking of purloined files, I'm pretty sure someone on Luthor's level of genius would have better security. Perhaps he didn't care that people could just walk up to his computer and snatch files because he thought his encryption was unbreakable?

Fans have a lot to be happy with in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. You've got the clash of titans between Superman and Batman. Yeah, sure, Batman didn't stand a chance without the kryptonite and the armor, but it was still enjoyable to watch. There's the appearance of Doomsday and a kickass Wonder Woman, the introduction to other heroes in the DC Universe ready to spring to the big screen. And then there's the allusion to bigger and badder things on the horizon. While Luthor seems to be babbling incoherently from his cell, anyone who's read the comics knows what's coming. Bruce Wayne's conversation with Diana Prince at the end is also very telling. Bruce tells Diana that they will need to find and team up with the other metahumans they both know about. She suggests that they might not want to be found, but Bruce tells her he has a hunch that they will be willing to band together because of what's coming. While he certainly doesn't know what Luthor is talking about when he confronts him in his cell, Batman is able to foresee that, just as there are good people with super powers, there will also be bad, which means that the world will need a powerful force to fight the bad that's coming. And we all know what that means.

No Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is not a perfect film. It is, however, an enjoyable one with some glimpses at a potentially bright future for the Justice League on the big screen. If the writers and the director can learn to lighten up a little bit, this will be a highly entertaining super hero franchise.

Marvel Studios does it yet again

When the trailers first started streaming, I'm sure many folks asked, "Guardians of the Who? What?" And then there were those like me. I'm sure I'm not alone here. Somebody tell me I'm not alone here. I couldn't help being just a tad skeptical. They're making a Guardians of the Galaxy movie? Really? Um, that's weird, and, yeah, totally cool, but it's probably going to suck balls. Chris Pratt is Star-Lord? Yeah, it's going to suck balls.

But then I had to admit that first trailer was pretty damned awesome. I watched it over and over again. Then there were more trailers and more promos, and I had to wonder whether it was being overhyped and whether it could ever live up to that. It's pretty obvious, however, that Marvel Studios has found the perfect formula for a crowd-pleasing hit: lots of humor, lots of action, far-flung adventures, and lovable characters. Guardians of the Galaxy is stuffed full of all these ingredients and for good measure, they jumped up and down on the suitcase to pack in an awesome soundtrack too. It's the kind of the movie that really encourages the audience to get up and dance.

And you know what? It shouldn't even be shown in movie theaters. It should be shown in dance clubs, outside on Jumbotrons so people can get up and move when the urge strikes—and let me tell you, it will strike often while you're watching this one.

No, Guardians of the Galaxy isn't going to win any awards for being riveting drama. Much of what happens in the film feels frankly contrived. Oh, sure, the story about the death of Quill's mother is moving, and you can't help screaming inside at him to take her damned hand, dammit! Most of it is really just going through the motions, but you just can't help freaking loving it because the characters will break you down. I dare you to go into this one determined to hate any of them. Before it's over, you'll be buying all the plushies. You will, I'm telling you, you will. Had a really bad day at work? Just got fired? Go see Guardians of the Galaxy and you'll find yourself just knocking that dirt off your shoes.

Yes, it is mostly the characters that drive this one. While some of the sequences that attempt to build their personas might as well be bumper stickers, their unique personalities and interactions win you over with relative ease.

Chris Pratt is zany and absurdly charismatic as Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, the petty thief and smuggler who becomes the leader of the band of losers who earn the name Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeah, they earned it. Ronan the Accuser himself coined the title. Yeah, that scene was just a hair's width on the side of contrived too, but what the hell.

I have to admit, Zoe Saldana looks pretty good as green-skinned Gamora. You know what they say about the green ones. No, no, I don't either. I was very impressed with the effects and make-up jobs. In most films like this, the skin colors usually look like they're painted on. In this case, suspension of disbelief is well secured. Dave Bautista makes for an appropriately intimidating Drax the Destroyer, although I remember him being more of a badass in the comic books. It's unfortunate that Groot doesn't really say much, but he's a pretty incredible character nonetheless. He's like a small Treebeard with a bad side. And I found myself really liking Michael Rooker as Yondu. No, Yondu didn't look like he does in the comics, but Rooker took the role and molded it to himself. I especially enjoyed the scene at the end where he smiles knowingly as if to say, "Good one!" 

We have to face a pretty simple fact here, folks. Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon positively steals the show. His cynicism and sarcasm drive the best laughs. Had I not seen the credits, I never would have known that was Cooper voicing the maniacal raccoon. And, really, he's kind of the brains of the operation. He's got that techie geek air about him—knows his way around gizmos, knows his way around a gun or two ... And as contrived as his backstory is, you can't help feeling for the poor little homicidal bastard.

The plot is barely thicker than the ticket stub, but this is one of the best feel-good movies you'll ever see. A bunch of misfits come together. They were trying to kidnap, kill, rob, etc., each other, but now they're great friends and they're going to save the galaxy from some crazy bastard with a big hammer. Dammit, I really, really wanted to see Thor cross hammers with Ronan. That ... that sounds kind of dirty. But, still. Great plot? Well, yeah, been there, done that, but it is a comic book movie, after all, and that's par for the course, right?

From start to finish, Guardians of the Galaxy is an enjoyable ride that you won't want to see end. The fact that it gives us all a better look at Thanos, tying it in with that other Marvel blockbuster, is another layer sugar-coma-inducing frosting.

Watch it for the humor, watch it for the soundtrack, watch it for the wonderful characters, but just watch it. Guardians of the Galaxy is one fun thrill ride of an adventure.

Ender's Game: Meh

I was going to write a full review of Ender's Game, but I don't feel much about it. It's a film with potential and good source material, but it just comes across as rather bland. The peaks and valleys one would expect to experience in terms of drama and emotional events are closer to a straight line in this one. The biggest fault with Ender's Game is that it lacks the patience to develop it's story and characters. In one dramatic moment an officer tells Ender he will never salute him; Ender insists that he will. It's only few minutes later that the officer is saluting him, and what ought to be a very dramatic and moving moment feels contrived.

And that's the way it is with the entire film. Every dramatic moment that ought to have an emotional impact on the audience is contrived and dull. Much of the plot is formulaic, and the climax generally follows the events of the book, but even the shocking revelation that comes at the end feels forced and carries no weight.

This is a story that requires more time to develop; it's just in too much of a hurry to get to the punchline.

In sum, Ender's Game is just disappointing and bland.

Netflix TV pick: Scrubs

For whatever reason, I didn't watch Scrubs when it first aired. The long-running and highly successful ABC series premiered in the fall of 2001 and ran until 2010. I can't help wondering what the hell I was doing from 2001 to 2010 that I wasn't watching this show. Probably gaming, I suppose.

It's not like I'd never seen an episode of the Scrubs. My friends watched it, and we would occasionally sit through an episode while waiting for our gaming buddies to show up for a board game session. But seeing a single installment in isolation doesn't give you a complete sense of what the show is about.

And so it was that I recently discovered Scrubs on Netflix and decided to give it a try. Having exhausted every episode of The IT Crowd, I was hungry for another good comedy series, one with the same kind of outrageous, laugh-out-loud moments I enjoyed with Roy, Moss and Jen. The first series to come to mind was Scrubs. Having seen a few scattered episodes of it in the past, I knew it was a good bet.

I have not been disappointed. I've been watching at least two episodes a night for the past week. While I don't find it as absurd and hilarious as The IT Crowd, I've become addicted to Scrubs largely because you just can't help loving these characters and seeing their relationships evolve.

Lately, I find myself contemplating my preconceived notions about the show from the few chapters I watched before. Primarily, I realized that you tend to judge the characters in certain ways based on out-of-context scenes. So here's my rundown of my character judgments prior to actually watching the first season:

JD: Duh. He's the main character, so you love him as the good-hearted underdog.

Turk: JD's wingman. A little on the cocky side, so I don't like him as much as I do JD.

Elliot: The token hottie. JD likes her; she's not into him. Yadda, yadda.

Carla: The hottie nurse, Turk's woman.

Dr. Cox: Total asshole. Takes every opportunity to gut JD of any sense of self worth and dignity.

Dr. Kelso: Satan incarnate.

Janitor: Weird, scary dude.

Jordan: The former Mrs. Cox, probably left him because he's a total asshole. Obviously, she deserved better.

Todd: A brainless, annoying jock.

And after watching one season of the program, my conceptions have changed to:

JD: Duh. He's the main character. I like him even more now that I've seen the show.

Turk: Still kind of cocky, but in a lovable and funny way.

Elliot: A very sympathetic character, full of vulnerabilities. I sometimes get angry at her for not being stronger.

Carla: The mercurial hottie. Don't piss her off. But she's got her vulnerable side too. Love her.

Dr. Cox: Dammit. I wanted to hate this bastard, but they went and showed how totally messed up the dude is and I can't help feeling sorry for him. He's a jerk, but he's a jerk with a heart who genuinely cares about his patients.

Todd: A lovable manchild.

Dr. Kelso: Satan incarnate.

Janitor: Still weird, still scary, and a major pain to JD. But after seeing how his father treats him and understanding his defensiveness and self-esteem issues, yeah, he's a sympathetic character too.

Jordan: Mrs. Satan Incarnate. I thought Cox was the asshole, but she obviously wrecked the man. I already know from watching isolated episodes that they temporarily get back together, but I'm on Cox's side in this battle.

Scrubs is one of those sitcoms that goes for a lot of the daydreamer humor that often gives it a surreal quality. The funniest and most outrageous moments are those in which JD creates daydream metaphors for the real-life conflicts he faces. I especially loved the episode in which he saw Dr. Cox as the superhero who could save a leukemia victim (who just happened to be Cox's former brother-in-law). The a capella band headed by hospital attorney Ted's rendition of the Underdog theme song was hilarious in this one.

Ultimately, though, these daydream moments of JD's are true metaphors representing his interpretation of events and his personal growth. In spite of all the verbal abuse he's suffered from Cox, he comes to idolize him because he sees through the craggy exterior to the vulnerable man beyond, a man steeped in emotional torment yet determined to do right by his patients. It is, after all, Cox who helps JD overcome many of his own personal fears to not only succeed in the hospital, but to also follow a moral path. In a world where money and politics grease the wheels of the machine, it is Cox who teaches JD how to game the system to do the right thing.

At its heart, Scrubs is a serious drama that tackles real issues. I'm in love with this person, but I have to work with her professionally every day and not let it interfere with my job. This person has no health insurance; how can we get him the surgery he needs? I'm afraid of death, but I have to live with it every day.

Never before has a show made me laugh so much and cry so much at the same time. Every episode is funny and moving and thoughtful. I walk away from each feeling a little sad and a little hopeful, but always I am moved. Very few TV programs have the ability to affect me so deeply. To dismiss Scrubs as comedy is to fail to fundamentally understand it and its characters.

Bye-bye cable, hello streaming

So I ditched cable some months back. The family still hates me for it, but it was a financial necessity. We just plain couldn't afford it any more. I purchased a couple of indoor antennae (antennas?) to pick up air signals, but, yeah, the number of channels is greatly limited and the signals tend to be unreliable. The plan was to purchase a good outdoor antenna and split the signal out to all of the TVs in the house—just three of them, really, but that hasn't happened yet.

As a replacement, I've turned to subscribing to three streaming services: Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime. Netflix has a pretty large library of TV shows and movies, but quality can be spotty. Some of the movie offerings I could do without, but I do like many of the TV shows, including "The IT Crowd," "Dexter," and "Breaking Bad." The problem with the TV offerings is that they tend to be older series. Since I often want to watch recently aired programs, I also subscribe to Hulu Plus, which streams a number of programs I like a day or two after the network air date.

I also have an Amazon Prime membership, which affords me access to a number of TV and movie offerings included in the subscription fee, with rentals and purchases available for many more titles.

Streaming programs can save you money over that bloated cable subscription, but it's a decidedly mixed bag for a number of reasons.

First, you won't have immediate access to the all of the new episodes you like, and some seasons aren't made available to streaming services for up to a year after the original air dates. A number of really good programs are still available, and some of the older offerings are classics or ought to be considered classics. You also have access to many hidden gems you didn't even know existed, especially programs from the other side of the pond.

Network performance can be another issue. Even if your ISP isn't throttling bandwidth for some services, you have to put up with occasional buffering. I pay a premium for faster internet service, so I don't expect to have problem streaming video. I play online games without a problem, but sometimes I do experience lag and buffering while trying to watch video. Believe it or not, your hardware can be the source of streaming issues. I learned this firsthand while using an internet-ready Sony Blu-Ray player. I almost always had an issue with Netflix. At certain times in the evening I was just plain unable to watch a movie or TV program because the stream would buffer every few minutes and would sometimes never resume. It got so bad that I finally just cancelled Netflix. I didn't have the same problem with Vudu, a digital rental and purchase service, so I decided it must be an issue with Netflix's service.

Sometime later I purchased a Roku for my streaming needs, and, lo and behold, my buffering issues went away. A little research on the internet revealed that this was a common problem among users of the same Blu-Ray player I owned.

After I started streaming programs on the Roku, I saw a significant decline in the number of network and buffering issues. And by "significant", I mean they went from an everyday occurrence to almost never. And if you do like to stream movies and TV, I highly recommend the Roku. I consider it the best $100 I've ever spent on a video/network device.

Aside from challenges like these, I can't say that I really miss cable that much. For regular broadcast TV, I'm doing okay with the antennae, but I will certainly install an outdoor antenna as a long-term solution. The craziest part is, I still end up channel surfing. How's that? you wonder. Well, I often find myself spending hours paging through Netflix or Hulu or Amazon programs trying to find something to watch. Yes, there are tons of options—perhaps too many sometimes, but I still find myself pondering, "What am I in the mood for?"

When it comes to comedy, I have frankly been spoiled by "The IT Crowd." While I enjoy many comedies, including "Community," "Scrubs" and "Psych," few have given me the same kind of laughs as "The IT Crowd."

Which service is best? Well, it's hard to say, really; it depends on what exactly you're looking for. I would break it down like this:

• Netflix: Tons and tons of movies and TV programs to watch. Generally good quality video. The new navigation interface is terrible, however. It's fine for when you're looking for a specific program, but if you're just browsing, like when I'm channel surfing, it's horrendous. Netflix needs to get a clue and offer a better browsing experience, for example, by specific channel or genre. The genre categories are really bad too. It's like they hired a 12-year-old to make some arbitrary labels. I'm telling you, it's gawdawful, and I often switch to another streaming service simply because I get frustrated with Netflix browsing.
• Hulu Plus: Great for TV, especially current programs, and offers some decent original content. Hulu Plus is my go-to service for watching the most recent episodes of programs I like, such as "Community," "Bob's Burgers," and "Agents of Shield" (yes, dammit, I'm watching it). Movie offerings aren't great, but that's not really its niche. The browsing experience is much, much better than Netflix's.
• Amazon Prime: Not nearly as big a collection as Netflix and no new content like Hulu Plus, but the Prime membership does give you access to some great programs, including "Justified," "Whitechapel," "Sherlock" and others. I've had almost zero network problems with Amazon.
• Vudu: My favorite services for renting movies and for purchasing programs digitally. The video quality is great, and I almost never have any network issues streaming programs. If you've never used Vudu, I highly recommend it for movie rentals. Since it's a rental service, there's no monthly fee like the streaming services. I've purchased a number of program seasons on Vudu and love to browse the Collections list.

One caveat I should add about each service's interface is that it will vary from one device to the next. I got very used to the interface on the Roku, so navigating on my Vizio TV is sometimes frustrating.

No one service is a complete solution, in my opinion, but if I were forced to choose just one, I'd probably go with Netflix simply because of the size of its library. And I am convinced that the only way to stream anything is on a Roku. Not only do I highly recommend the Roku, I'm strongly considering purchasing additional units for the other rooms in the house.

TV pick of the month, hell, the past year: The IT Crowd

Many a time when I was browsing my streaming services--primarily Netflix--I would stumble across the title "The IT Crowd" and never clicked the button because I just didn't think I'd be interested. I've worked in the software industry side-by-side with the "IT crowd" for over a decade now. Any "in" jokes about it would just seem stale and lame, I felt, especially since all of the end-user ignorance bit has been passé for years now.

So it wasn't until my daughter nudged me that I decided to give "The IT Crowd" a try. After all, I've been watching a lot British comedy and drama lately and finding it a good deal more satisfying than most of the American fare I've grown up with.

I was not disappointed. After the first episode I was hooked. "The IT Crowd" is one of the most outrageously hilarious comedies I've ever enjoyed. Richard Ayoade is a treat as the socially inept electronics genius Maurice Moss; Chris O'Dowd is a perfect fit as the perpetually disgruntled slacker Roy Trenneman; and Katherine Parkinson creates an empathetic figure in the hapless Jen Barber. They are the IT department at Reynholm Industries, a family-run business that does who knows what but seems to be important enough to attract Japanese partners.

The initial shtick is that Jen is hired to head the IT department though she knows nothing about computers. Roy and Moss know this and find a way to expose her--well, at least to themselves--but she continues to represent the ne'er-do-well department to the rest of the company.

The primary reason I resisted the show for so long was because I assumed it would be a litany of one IT or computer-related joke after another. Instead, it's more of the kind of madcap character comedy you see in programs like "Psych" or perhaps even "The Catherine Tate Show." Roy and Moss manage to get themselves into absurd predicaments that require complicated resolutions.

For example, in one episode Roy decides to use the restroom reserved for handicapped patrons because the wait was too long for the regular restroom. He gets caught and resorts to pretending to be disabled while Moss finds himself suddenly tending bar after he is mistaken for an employee of the establishment. Jen would surely feel she's the parent to a couple of grown-up ten-year-olds if not for her own mishaps.

The program is full of surprises. Just when you think you've seen just about every ludicrous thing that could happen in Reynholm Industries, the most head-slappingly preposterous will occur. I don't want to divulge too many details about this, lest you decide to give it a try, but one example is the discovery Jen makes about what lies behind a mysterious door in the IT offices. Let's just say there's more than servers in there.

My favorite episode is "The Work Outing" in which Jen, Roy and Moss go out to the theater. It was supposed to be Jen's date with a co-worker whose sexual orientation remains ambiguous or evasive and is a mystery Jen must solve. I will say no more about it, but it is decidedly the most hilarious TV I have enjoyed in a long, long time.

In another episode, Roy and Moss fall in with the wrong crowd when they decide to fake being sports fans after Moss finds a web site specifically for geeks that helps them make conversation with, well, "normal" folk. As you might imagine, it does not end well. It seldom does in this program.

It doesn't take long to fall in love with all of the characters in the show, even the unsavory ones like Douglas Reynholm. He's one of the most enjoyable scalawags ever to grace the small screen. Roy, Moss and Jen will quickly become like family. You cannot help but feel for them as the luckless but well-meaning IT department.

The most disappointing thing about "The IT Crowd" is that it only ran four full seasons. It came back for a farewell episode later, but that final episode is not yet available on streaming services--as far as I can tell, anyway, and I've been searching for it. It's over all too quickly for me. I want more. One day I'll find that elusive final episode, and that will, sadly, be that. Until then I may have to watch the whole series all over again. I cannot recommend "The IT Crowd" highly enough. No matter what kind of show you enjoy, you'll find "The IT Crowd" a laugh-out-loud experience.