Wilfred

So I saw a few really weird commercials for FX's new series Wilfred and I had no idea what to expect.  I knew Elijah Wood was in it and a guy dressed up in a dog costume but that's about it.  I watched the first episode last week, and I still have little idea what's going on.  But damn it was funny.  It follows a depressed, suicidal man, Ryan (Elijah Wood), who seems to be living a life that he has let others choose for him.  No surprise that he is miserable.  Suddenly, a new friend enters his life, the neighbor's dog, Wilfred (Jason Gann).  But the dog is actually a guy dressed in a dog suit.  Is he hallucinating this?  Sure seems like it.  Maybe this will be resolved in future episodes, maybe not.  Is Wilfred someone who can get Ryan to break out of his depression and live life on his own terms?  Maybe.  Is Wilfred setting up Ryan for disaster?  Maybe.  Either way it will be fun to watch.  Watch the trailer below.

Marwencol - Independent Lens

I was watching tv the other night and stumbled upon this documentary on PBS Independent Lens and it sucked me in.  It told the story of a man finding his way while  recovering from a brutal attack after a night at the bar.  He was targeted by a group of guys just because they overheard he liked to cross-dress.  The attack left him in a coma, and emotionally and physically scarred almost beyond repair.

The story of his recovery would have been interesting in itself, but his choice of self-therapy is what really blew my mind.  To escape the torture of the memories, he buried himself in a make-believe world of his creation.  He created a miniature town in his yard, Marwencal, and filled it with characters from his life.  He dressed up dolls to represent the townspeople and played out imagined story-lines.

But his creation would have gone unknown to everyone but a few people close to him, if not for his photography skills.  It turns out he had an instinctive knack for photography that he would use to capture scenes of his dolls in his imaginary town.  The documentary shows how by chance his photos were seen by a professional photographer, which lead to his very private collection of photos being exposed to the art-world.

At the core of this amazing film is the story of this genuine underdog.  A man with his world torn to shreds, and in the aftermath finds a way to channel his pain and anger into works of art that transcend his private experience and go on to inspire others.  It's a must-see.  You can check out re-runs on PBS.  Below are some of his amazing photos and the trailer for the documentary.  Here's the website for the film.

Game of Thrones - HBO

Just watched the first episode of HBO's Game of a Thrones, a medieval drama that follows a struggle for power in a mythical world.  All you Tolkien fans are getting excited, right?

Roughly from what I remember the show went like this:

• dreamy winter setting 
• an ambush and bloody feast by a (magical?) mythical beast (Think the movie The Village, if the beasts were real and it took place a few hundred years earlier)
• A cool title screen that introduces the different regions like a board game
• introduction of the main players all vying for power in this imaginary realm
• A secret plot to overthrow the king
• tits and screwing
• a dwarf
• a fat lecherous king
• the boy prince that watches his father behead a deserter
• more tits 
• a weird incestuous brother selling his sister to gain an army
• a beach-side wedding
• many more tits
• ceremonial killing
• a beach-side raping
• an underdog hero who will protect the king from plotting rivals
• more screwing (more incest?)
• and the possible death of the boy prince

Sounds like another winner from HBO!  And a dream come true for every guy who ever played role playing games as a kid.  Now with a chance to see boobs!

The Sunset Limited

2 men: one convinced of the existence of God and the brotherhood of man, the other convinced otherwise.  The man of faith (Sam Jackson) just saved the non-believer's life (Tommy Lee Jones) and now is trying his damndest to save his soul.  The entire movie is a conversation between these two men.  Will Sam Jackson's character convince his house guest of the meaning of life, and save him from making another suicide attempt? 

This play was written by Cormac McCarthy, and having read "No Country for Old Men" I kind of guessed where this was going.  But boy was it fun to watch these two talk about life, and death, and what it all means.  And being a skeptic myself, I guess I found myself relating more to the arguments of the non-believer.  But by the end, I was hoping for the argument for God to win.  The argument that we all have a purpose, that life has meaning beyond our daily affairs.  I think we all hope for that at some level.  But can an argument proving God's existence really be made?

If you got HBO, DVR it or watch it now!  Otherwise, queue it up for later.

Ebert Presents: At the Movies

Roger Ebert debuted his long-awaitied return to TV, Ebert Presents: At the Movies, this past weekend on PBS.  It's been 36 years since Roger, along with his co-host Gene Siskel started their weekly hour-long movie review show, originally called Sneak Previews.  This new show largely has Mr. Ebert working behind the scenes as producer.  Throat and salivary cancer has robbed his voice but you can't stop this man's ambition.  He will have a short segment at the end of each show, where he will review a new film.  The first episode had director Werner Herzog narrate Roger's review which was pretty cool to hear.  It would be awesome if he talked for Roger every week!

So with this new show, Roger's left the bulk of the movie reviewing to movie critics Christy Lemire of The Associated Press and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of Mubi.com.  The first thing you'll notice is how young the Russian-born Ignatiy is (24).  During the first show, the two hosts didn't really seem to have much chemistry,  but we'll see how that develops once they get into a groove.  Interestingly, Christy gave a "thumbs down" to all 5 films they reviewed, while Ignatiy gave a "thumbs up" to each of them.  It's just one show, but to me it did seem like Ignatiy was way too forgiving when it came to a lot of the movies' flaws.  But, maybe the contrast will keep things interesting.

Being a huge Orson Welles fan, it was cool to see all the Wellesian references throughout the first show.  They reviewed the great, classic noir film, The Third Man, probably Welles most famous acting role.  Plus, they introduced the critics in the style of Welles famous trailer for Citizen Kane.  Then they finished off the show with Ebert's face replacing Welle's famous entrance in The Third Man.  Not to mention using Anton Karas' Third Man theme as the theme for the show!  The vain Welles would have been sick with pride.

Modern Family

Man, this show is funny! My wife and I have never laughed so hard. It follows the lives of three related families. And like any sitcom they happen to be way funnier and get into crazier situations than you or I.  It's shot like a standard comedy (no laugh track) with moments of documentary style confessionals from time to time so you get to see what each character is thinking.  Nothing ground breaking, just the funniest writing and acting out there. Check out the last episode here.

Big Love

From time to time throughout Big Love's 5-year run, I thought the story was a little over the top, drama for drama's sake.  But like a train wreck it's hard to look away from this crazy dysfunctional family.  Plus, being HBO, the production quality is high and acting is top-notch from this great ensemble cast. 

All of the drama stems from the family's attempt to blend into normal society and keep their polygamist marriage a secret, while dealing with the family's strong ties to the local compound of fundamentalist Mormons.  As you would expect from a bunch of religious zealots, there's no end to sinning: conspiracies, arson, theft, adultery, rape, incest, lies, murder, backstabbing, abortions, hidden homosexuality, bitter jealousy, kidnapping, and bird trafficking.  Sounds like fun, right?  The last season begins tonight, with the husband just elected to Utah's state senate and the family outed publicly as polygamists.  Let the craziness begin!

Jeff Bridges on American Masters

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners."

Last night's show of American Masters on PBS featured The Dude, Jeff Bridges.  And until watching this I didn't know that he really was The Dude.  Not that he is a drugged-out ex-hippy, that was just a role he played.  But watching the documentary you see the way he carries himself, having a very Dude-like quality of letting life come his way, instead of trying to take control all the time.  And you see his Dude-ness in all the unorthodox movie roles he's chosen over his career, always looking for new acting challenges and new experiences.  Over the years he has also become an accomplished musician, photographer, and artist.