Hungry Like the (Were)Wolf

I think it’s time to write my “Teen Wolf” post. I wasn’t sure how to do this one – this show is definitely a guilty pleasure. Literally, this is one of those shows that has every cliche ever, but still manages to keep you interested. Kind of.

Let me start by saying that I’m not an MTV watcher, not really. I can remember when MTV was about music – hence, Music Television – and not pregnant teenagers, so when I was told about this show, I was like, “Uhm, thanks but no thanks.” I mean, this was coming off of the whole “Twilight” bandwagon, so it was kind of rough. Werewolves? Who needs that? Spoiler alert, no one.

But, yeah.

I’m one of those girls who uses tumblr, I can admit that. When my boyfriend asked me about it, the only way I could really describe it was as “spoiler central”. And I’m not joking because that’s how I got started on “Hawaii Five-O” and “Teen Wolf”. (Don’t worry about the “Hawaii Five-O” stuff, we’ll talk about that another time.) My expectations for the show were pretty much nothing. I expected it to be one of those shows that I would throw on when I was bored, not caring because it was just completely stereotypical of a chick show.

It was so much more than that. Now, I’m emotionally invested in MTV’s “Teen Wolf” – which is on on Mondays at 10 pm. It’s kind of sad, really. There may not be a lot of continuity on the show, but there are compelling characters and character development. The main cast consists of Scott McCall (our main-main character, played by Tyler Posey), his best friend and son of the sheriff… Stiles Stilinski (Dylan O’Brien), the head-honcho werewolf alpha… Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin), Scott’s girlfriend and werewolf hunter… Allison Argent (Crystal Reed), along with various other characters that are also regulars, but not particularly important to this post, so sorry, Isaac, Lydia, and Peter fans.

I’m not setting out to give any spoilers, here, something that’s all too easy to do with this show. There’s so much going on, which can be a good thing as well as a bad thing.

We have to watch Stiles deal with his deteriorating relationship with his father (because his dad is the sheriff and doesn’t know about the supernatural stuff going on), then there’s Scott’s relationship with Allison even as her father is trying to track down Derek. Then there’s Derek’s angst about his family issues. There’s just a lot going on. Every story line keeps you interested – whether your invested in Stiles’ problems or Derek’s, it doesn’t matter, because something draws you in – whether you want it to or not.

But here comes the unpopular opinions…

1. Acting…

The acting isn’t great, I’m going to be straight-up with everyone. Linden Ashby (Sheriff Stilinski) and Dylan O’Brien (Stiles Stilinski) are the best actors on the show. Hands down, they’re both awesome and the reason I keep turning the channel to MTV on Mondays. Most of the older, more seasoned actors are pretty good, but overall, it’s kind of… sub-par? Don’t get me wrong, the show is enjoyable and you can tell that the actors enjoy what they do, but still. .

2. Action…

Oh, man, the fight scenes. It’s like watching “Star Trek: The Original Series” when you watch a “Teen Wolf” fight scene, Everything is clearly choreographed, but not enough to make it believable. Then there’s the whole, extra flip here, gratuitous sprint over there… It’s a bit ridiculous, but not terrible. Definitely not great, that’s for sure, but you can get past it.

3. Continuity…

Like I said, there is a bit of a problem with continuity on “Teen Wolf”… For example, Derek is a broody, angst-ridden character. Viewers are given two explanations for his attitude – first in season one and then in season three. It can be a bit distracting because you watch and it’s like, hey, this was different two episodes ago.

Despite this stuff, the show is still good. It’s fun and interesting and everyone’s easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean (and I know you all do). But does “Teen Wolf” sink or swim? I’m going with swim. This show took me completely by surprise and I didn’t expect myself to like it as much as I do.

I’m having some issues posting a video like I normally do, so this time we’ll skip it. Not a big deal, I’m sure you guys don’t mind.

Here’s a picture from IMDB’s “Teen Wolf” page instead.

But before I end here, let me take a second to apologize for not posting for the last two months. That’s a ridiculous amount of time and it won’t happen again.

Do You Believe in Unlikelihoods?

I love hockey. I have for the longest time – the Bruins are my guys and no matter where I go in life, that’s how it’ll be. I practically grew up in a rink and my mother likes to say that I was skating before I really walked (something I lost track of when I moved as a kid, but that’s besides the point…). It’s not a really popular sport, I can’t understand why when it’s fast-paced, intense, physical… The list goes on. But if you watch the news when they talk about sports, hockey is almost always last – unless the team being reported on is winning.

But this isn’t a sports blog and I’m not going to preach about hockey.

I’m going to talk about the 2011 movie, Breakaway, which is about a Sikh ice hockey team in Canada.

It’s just one of the oddest hockey movies I”ve ever seen. I mean, there’s a weird figure skating scene when the main character is supposed to be suffering from a concussion. I’m pretty sure he’s supposed to be skating with the female love interest at the Taj Mahal, but it’s some of the worst CGI I’ve ever seen (the CGI is used for both the scenery and the skating in this scene). It’s just… seriously, odd is the only word I can think of to describe it. Then there’s this whole thing with their helmets at the end of the movie – they have to wear helmets (because they wear turbans) or forfeit a tournament. Well, instead of forfeiting, the team wears helmets that are reminiscent of  those worn into a full-on battle.

Like, I get it – I understand the concept. But, between relatively unknown actors and Rob Lowe’s not-so-great acting skills, this movie is just strange. It’s full of cheesy cliches – a son trying to make his father proud, but unable to give up what he loves the most, so he has to hide his true passion from his family with the help of his friends.

But! Does Breakaway sink or swim? I’ll say sink if only because it’s just too cheesy for me, but it’s also one of those movies you can put on if there’s nothing else and still be pretty satisfied with your choice. If that makes any sense.

Below is the trailer for the movie, so you can come to your own opinion!

Dammit Man, I’m a Blogger, Not a Starfleet Officer!

“They’re trying to kill us, Jim!”

So, here we are. The long-awaited Star Trek Into Darkness post – or long awaited by me, whatever. This will have spoilers, so I’m putting it behind a “more…” tag so everyone can decide for themselves whether or not they want to read it. Obviously, it’s been almost a week since the movie premiered on May 17th, so plenty of people will have seen it, but just in case you haven’t you can skip this post. 

It’s Elementary, my Dear Readers

So, for those of you who haven’t seen my last post, here’s a little recap: BBC’s “Sherlock” is one of the best television shows in the world. Seriously. Watch it.

Great, now you’re all caught up. Missed a lot, didn’t you?

Yeah, no. Not really.

For this post, I wanted to talk about CBS’ show, “Elementary” because it is also a Sherlock Holmes spin-off set in the 21st century. When I heard about CBS’ version of the show, I was a bit worried. I think it was understandable, though. I mean, how many shows has America stolen…

(Let me explain my use of “stolen” for a bit here, because apparently a reader of this from tumblr had a problem with it. Obviously you can’t steal a television show. That shit’s copyrighted out the ass and whatever else they do to keep it from being stolen. I’m saying “stolen” here, in the use of the word to mean that I think the shows that were, let’s say adapted for Americans, unnecessary. Now, I’m American and I obviously love TV – this blog is proof – but sometimes you should just be okay with a non-American version. Like, I get why they do it – these shows do well in another country, so another opportunity for revenue if it’s done in the US. But whatever. If you don’t like my word choice – whoever-you-are-from-tumblr, then don’t read my posts. Simple as that. I tag things with “opinions” for a reason. This is my opinion. I never claimed that these shows being stolen was a fact, it was just a word choice. End rant.)

…from British television. “Cash Cab”, “The Office”, “Being Human”,  and “Shameless” are just a few I found in a quick Google search. Some of these ended better than others, you can check the link to wikipedia to see which.

Anyway, yeah, so I was kind of nervous and a bit peeved that CBS had the audacity to premier an American modern Sherlock Holmes just two years (2012 for “Elementary” and 2010 for “Sherlock”) after Britain’s unbelievably successful version. And then I heard that John Watson would be played by Lucy Liu and I was like, “What have you done, CBS?” I mean, genderswapping a classic character like Doctor Watson? That couldn’t end well.

But I’m not egotistical enough to not admit when I’m wrong.

“Elementary” has surprised me in so many ways. I was unbelievably shocked to discover that the was, actually, pretty neat. Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely reluctant when it came to actually sitting down and watching the show, but it was kind of awesome.

Johnny Lee Miller plays a very convincing Sherlock Holmes, a former drug addict and still as arrogant as ever, and Lucy Liu’s Joan Watson comes across just as compassionate and intelligent as Martin Freeman’s portrayal. Taking place in New York City, Watson works as Holmes’ “sober companion” during his recovery from drug addiction. And instead of being a former army doctor, Liu’s Watson is a disgraced surgeon who left a career at the hospital after having a patient die during a procedure.

Sadly, there isn’t an Inspector Lestrade – but there is a Captain Gregson who can be compared. Plus, Gregson’s story line has us finding out that he had worked with Holmes during a stint at Scotland Yard. However, we do get an Irene Adler in both shows. Now, I haven’t seen any of the episodes where Adler appears on “Elementary” but she is played by Natalie Dormer, who we might remember as Margaery Tyrell in “Game of Thrones” as well as having a cameo in Captain America. Personally, I love Dormer – I think she’s a fabulous actress and her character on “Game of Thrones” is quickly becoming one of my favorites as the season progresses. As for “Sherlock”, we have an Irene Adler played by Lara Pulver, who appeared on HBO’s “True Blood”. Now, Pulver’s Adler was kind of a badass – we got to see exactly why she was Holmes’ match in intelligence. She played a dominatrix who kept pictures of her clients on her phone as insurance against those who wished her ill-will. “A Scandal in Belgravia” was an excellent episode of “Sherlock”, the only one we got to see Pulver in, but that’s fine.

This has become a lot more of a compare and contrast post than I had intended, so sorry for that.

But, if you made it this far, you might as well finish, right?

So, if you can get past the glaringly obvious differences, I think you’ll find that “Elementary” is worth watching. It’s a witty show with intriguing plots, ones that don’t really have you comparing it to BBC’s “Sherlock” which, for me, was what I was worried about. Time for the verdict, though – sink or swim? I’m going with swim. I enjoy watching this show, when I get a chance because it’s not a show I wait for every week. The acting is very good and the plots – while sometimes a bit predictable – are intriguing, for the most part.

Below you’ll find the trailer for season one of “Elementary”.

A Study in Awesome.

Oh boy, this show. This show.

I can’t even begin to talk about how awesome this show is. It’s funny, fast-paced, and the acting is, in a word, phenomenal. And I mean that for everyone on the show.

BBC’s modern take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective, Sherlock Holmes, brings new interest to the book series. And that’s awesome. Having read the books myself, it’s great to see younger people getting interested in it. This brings up the age-old argument that the books are better than the movies, but that’s a story for another time.

The Sherlock Holmes of the twenty-first century, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (terrible name, great actor) isn’t as brash as the one that had been played by Basil Rathbone throughout the 1940’s. (On a related note, if you ever get the chance to watch those movies, I would – they’re great.) Although the modern Holmes describes himself as  “the world’s only consulting detective,” there can be no denying that Rathbone’s Holmes was just as formidable.

Anyway, the one thing you have to understand when it comes to BBC’s “Sherlock” is that this show is a series, not a season. I’m not quite sure why we differentiate between the two, but if you make that mistake on tumblr, heads will roll. So, just a warning. But I have my own theory. Seasons of shows tend to run ten or more episodes. Want to take a guess on how many episodes “Sherlock” runs in a series?

Three.

Yeah, you read that right. Three.

Now, each episode is pretty much it’s own movie – running about an hour and a half long. So, for the most part, viewers can walk away happy with what they watched. But – and this is important, so pay attention! – the writers of the show, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, are terrible when it comes to cliff hangers. And I mean that they’re too good, too into it, if that makes any sense…

While the first two series have had, as I said, three episodes apiece, the final episodes of each series have had major cliff hangers. The kind that have you yelling at the screen because how could they leave you like this? Why didn’t they continue? Why? Why? WHY?

I’m not bitter, I swear.

But you get the picture. This is one of those shows that sucks you in and holds on tight. With superb acting and a glorious interpretation of the original plots, you can’t go wrong.

And here comes a shameless Star Trek Into Darkness plug, because I’m so excited – Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the villain in the sequel to the 2009 Star Trek reboot. So if you like him in “Sherlock”, chances are you’ll like him in that. (At least I hope so, there’s been so much hype about this sequel, if it bombs, I’m gonna be so mad… Like I have any control over it. Whatever.)

So there you have our Sherlock Holmes, what about John Watson?

Watson is played by the incomparable Martin Freeman – if his name sounds familiar, it’s probably because he played Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. He’s amazing. Seriously. If you start watching the show, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Especially in the series two episode, “The Reichenbach Fall”.

The moment of truth – sink or swim. Uhm, if you thought it could be anything other than swim, whoa. There’s nothing else I can say about this show apart from how much I love it and how much I firmly recommend watching it. Give it a shot. It’s awesome.

Below you’ll find the preview for the series one episode one, “A Study in Pink”.

ChellsBells’ Excellent Ghost Adventure

Dude, stop running!

Well, scrolling down the screen, but you get my point. Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures” is one hell of a show, not necessarily for the right reasons. Let’s get the basics out of the way. But bear with me – whether or not you believe in ghosts or the supernatural… that has nothing to do with this post. The goal of this is to talk about the men who are on the show. So, let’s begin, shall we?

You have three guys who get locked into different locations that have histories of being haunted. The locations vary, but the hunters remain the same: Zak Bagans (self-proclaimed lead investigator), Nick Groff (investigator/camera operator), and Aaron Goodwin (investigator/camera operator).

My favorite thing about the show is actually the beginning during their opening credits. They don’t have a theme song, but they do have a voice over where Bagans talks about his experiences and why he began ghost hunting. But whatever. There’s a part where he says, “…with no big camera crews following us around…” (or something like that). Now, this show kind of runs in competition with Syfy channel’s “Ghost Hunters” – a show that does have camera crews following them around, so in my mind it’s a dig towards it.

Anyway… If there’s one thing you can count on with “Ghost Adventures”, it’s that you will hear the word “dude” at least five times in an episode. Seriously. I had a coworker who told me that she and her friends would turn it into a drinking game – every time someone says “dude” they would take a drink.

Another thing that kind of cracked me up is actually the guy, Zak Bagans. If you watch him in the first episode they premiered, he’s this skinny, almost gangly guy. But then you get a few episodes in and all of a sudden he’s bulked up and crazy looking. But he’s still the skinny, geeky guy – there’s an episode where they have  a lock-down underground and he has to wear a special mask due to respiratory issues.

The show is just a riot. They yell and run away and are generally scared of everything. Plus, there’s this belief that orbs are manifestations of spirits – but like my Sasquatch post where it’s never a bear, always Bigfoot – it’s always a ghost and never dust or a bug.

So, here comes the question: Does “Ghost Adventures” sink or swim? I’m gonna have to go with sink on this one. Not that I don’t watch the show – I totally do. But in reality, it’s just some guys running around with cameras. This is one of those shows you put on when you just want some background noise – fun if you’re bored, pretty much.

I’ve embedded episode one from season one in this post, so you can come to your own conclusions. Also, if you’re on tumblr, you can follow the “Ghost Adventures” blog.

I am… Not Iron Man, Just a Blogger Amazed by an Awesome Movie.

The poster for Iron Man 3 – credit from IMDB.

Okay, I’m going to do my best to not spoil the movie, but oh my God.

Iron Man 3 was amazing. Seriously. Robert Downey Jr was fabulous, GwynethPaltrow was astounding, Don Cheadle was awesome… I could go on. Marvel did an unbelievable job of keeping the plot for Iron Man 3 under wraps. I was seriously astonished at several points in the movie – I mean, we all know they were bringing Extremis into the franchise, but everything else? It was great.

Between the laughs and the angst and the action, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The ending was what did me in, though. I won’t go into detail on it, but yeah. It was crazy.

So my recommendation? Get some tickets, gather your friends, and go see it. Just make sure to stay until after the credits for a little extra. But then again, if you’re going to see Iron Man 3, you already know that.

Also, with the premier of Iron Man 3 comes the countdown to the long awaited Star Trek Into Darkness, premiering May 17.

Do You Know Why I Stopped You Scrolling?

Because I’m guilty? Yeah, I’m guilty…

Guilty of watching bad TV. We all do it; we all have those shows that have no redeeming qualities, but we just watch it anyway. For me, I can’t help but watch “Hawaii Five-O” (the reboot) and “Teen Wolf” (MTV’s adaptation of the movie). I watch for the plot. My aunt says I let my hormones rule my television-watching habits. You can’t prove anything.

Sometimes the only redeeming qualities are the gratuitous explosions, the beautiful scenery, and the attractive actors. Whatever.

But I’d love to hear from everyone else: what’s your guilty pleasure show? Why did you start watching it and why can’t you stop? Let me know in a comment!

Full Throttle in the Other Direction

I love this show. I’ve gotten into the habit of opening my posts with a quote or something from the show I’m writing about, but there’s nothing specific to say about “Full Throttle Saloon” on TruTV. From the Flaunt Girls to Fajita Mike, there’s nothing more to say than it is the epitome of white trash.

Now, that may sound harsh, but hear me out. My father has owned two motorcycles, as has my uncle, my cousin, and various other people I know, so I’ve grown up around bikes. Not everyone who rides motorcycles is into the whole biker stereotype. And don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. I’m talking about the whole black, leather, bandanna-ed and tattooed guys you see on the streets – the ones you automatically think of when someone talks about motorcycles.

But I digress.

The entire basis for the show comes from Sturgis – the annual (massive) biker rally that takes place August 5-11 in South Dakota. It’s unreal how many people go to it. Seriously.

The truth of the matter is, there’s no reason for these people to have their own TV show. The girlfriend (Angie Carlson) of the owner (Michael Ballard) is the lead dancer for the Flaunt Girls, and the way she conducts herself on the program is clearly a bid for fame. She’s gotta get her fifteen minutes in so that people recognize her.

What she wants to be recognized for? Who the heck knows. I think it’s because she thinks she’s an amazing dancer, but in my humble opinion, that’s so far from the truth it’s not even funny. (Except for how it is, because why else would I bother mentioning it?)

Then we have Jesse James Dupree, the self-appointed stunt man of Full Throttle Saloon. There’s this bridge they have on the property where Dupree will perform various stunts – most consisting of him jumping off of the bridge. But that’s not his only job. Dupree is often found managing various aspects of the “saloon” such as bands and events.

Otherwise, pretty much any other person you might see on the show is going to be drinking, drunk, or close to full-nudity.

Now, although I started this by saying that I love the show, it’s not for any good reason. “Full Throttle Saloon” is one of those shows you watch because nothing else is on and then you can’t look away. It’s like a train wreck in that way. But, time to decide – does “Full Throttle Saloon” sink or swim? Unfortunately, I’m going to have to go with sink, if only because these people are just ridiculous and it’s a picture of America the world could do without.

Oh! And here’s something fun: as if “Full Throttle Saloon” in Sturgis, South Dakota wasn’t enough – there’s going to be “Full Throttle Saloon Presents: Throttle Fest, Myrtle Beach” in South Carolina. Now, this is going to be awesome.

But, I’ve linked to episode one, part one, on Youtube so you can make your own decision.

Winning a Game of TV Shows

“Winter is coming.”

Well, it’s leaving, but with the arrival of spring comes the return of “Game of Thrones”. This show is just all kinds of awesome. Seriously.

Based off of George R.R. Martin‘s book series, “Song of Ice and Fire”, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” tells the story (stories) of people living in Westeros as they battle against each other in the hopes of removing one individual from the throne and placing themselves in charge. Now, that’s a very poor summary of the series, so here’s IMDB‘s summary: “Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros.” You can decide which is better.

Anyway, the show is unbelievable. The scenery is gorgeous, the actors are amazing, not to mention the great CGI they have going on for the dragons, white walkers, giants… Yeah.

The thing about this show is that you have to pay attention to understand what is happening. When I started watching, the first season was over, the second beginning, and I had the DVD set. So, one day, I was a bit bored and figured I’d put it on and then just play around on the internet. Well, that’s what I did. And it was a mistake to think I could do both things at once. Each disc has three episodes, and by the second episode, I had abandoned my laptop in favor of the show. Eventually, I had to go back and re-watch the first episode because I had been semi-distracted, but it was totally worth it.

“Game of Thrones” is just such an amazing show, I can’t say it enough. And one thing I love is that not every episode tells every story line. So, in one episode you might hear about the Starks and Tyrion Lannister, the next you’ll be hearing about Daenerys Targaryen and  Jon Snow. (I know I just dropped some names, but I’m hoping you’ll be like, “What the heck is she talking about?” and watch the show to learn who they are.)

So, “Game of Thrones”. Does it sink or swim? Between the growing interest in the show and the books, I think I can safely say that it swims. Heck, it swims, it bikes, it runs, and wins the triathlon. Seriously, give this show a chance and you won’t regret it. Below is the trailer for season 3, just to get you interested.