JENNIFER LAWRENCE - "ALL YOU'VE GOT TO DO IS FALL IN LOVE" - from HOUSE ...

House at the End of the Street

 Jennifer Lawrence returns to the big screen to take a break from all that running around in the woods trying to survive death from prepubescent children only to find herself trapped in a spooky house and possibly stalked by a psychotic young woman who may or may not have murdered her parents.  I think it's clear she's steering away from the Heigl Rom-coms, which is a good thing for all of us. Jennifer Lawrence plays Elissa a High School student who with her Mother (Elizabeth Shue) move into a new house to get a fresh start in a new town. She finds herself attracted to the mysterious young man (Max Thieriot) who lives in the House at the End of the Street. According to legend his sister Carrie Anne killed her parents and ran off to the woods never to be seen again....So is the legend true? Find out this Friday September 21st at your local theater. It's got something for everybody just in time for Halloween thrills and chills but suitable for the Tween set. It ain't Saw you know.

You can check out the twitter site and the facebook page now for trailers and updates.

The Words

As I was leaving the theater for this film I found myself reflecting on my difficulties with bringing my own stories and ideas from page to screen or novel and how that frustration could possibly turn to desperation, and you have to ask yourself the question would you do what Rory did?  Of course what I'm referring to is the premise of the film about a young writer who finds a manuscript with no name attached and in his frustration with his inability to get his own material published he re-types every word and claims it for his own. For some reason Bradley Cooper keeps taking these roles of a frustrated writer who obtains his success based on false premises. Like Limitless and one could say he played a struggling journalist/writer on Alias. Not sure what he sees in these characters but he does seem comfortable playing them. The Words is a strangely crafted film that shares it's odd narrative with another favorite film of mine Adaptation. Where that was a brilliant comedy about a story within a story this one weaves a equally intricate tale without the humor and maybe that is why it suffered at the Box Office.

Clay Hammond (Denis Quaid) starts off the film reading an excerpt of his new fictional book the Words. As he tells his story we begin to follow his protagonist Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper) and his wife Dora Jansen (Zoe Saldana). Rory is a struggling novelist who is having trouble making ends meet as he tries to get his first novel sold. After traveling in Paris he comes across a manuscript in an old shoulder bag that has no name attached. He is so affected by the manuscript in it's detail of Paris post World War II that he tries to channel his own inspiration by re-typing it word for word. He eventually publishes the book under his name and receives fame and fortune for it that is until he comes across an Old Man (Jeremy Irons) who claims that he wrote the book.

I really liked the movie even though I found the pacing to be a little strange. It was hard to tell what was true and what wasn't and I'm not so sure how effective the weaving between stories with Bradley Cooper and Denis Quaid were. I think the story about Dora, Rory and the old man were enough drama to put into one movie. SPOILER ALERT---------Ok, so it's really impossible to talk about this movie without revealing most or all of the twists but I think it was interesting that the filmmakers seemed to imply that Clay Hammond was actually Rory and that his book the words is him acknowledging it. But he doesn't outright admit it's him and the film never clears that up. I definitely can understand the power of having your words stolen from you, it's not just words in this case it's your life and it has somebody else's name attached to it.  I can also understand Rory who can see the brilliance of the book as well as recognizing that on his best day he could never write anything as powerful. Which then brings us to the character of Clay who seems to smugly revel in his success while subtlety admitting he's a bit of a charlatan. But after thinking about it for a while it's pretty clear that Clay is Rory and he does feel guilt for what he did to the old man and this book is his way of trying to make things right. But he still isn't paying any real consequences for it except from Olivia Wilde's character who is the only one who seems to have figured it out. There wasn't anything very new established here, drama wise, but I think the dilemma was definitely interesting but it never seemed to fully accomplish what it set out to do. I think the filmmakers were too keen on the mystery of who is who rather than focus on the why. Otherwise there were some great performances from Bradley Cooper and the stunning Zoe Saldana. I always love Olivia Wilde and Jeremy Irons confrontation with Cooper was solid. It's just Denis Quaid that kind of sticks out like a sore thumb, he just seems out of place in his role and I'm not sure if I can pinpoint exactly why. I think he is also too focused on the mystery of this guy that he doesn't really reveal anything and it becomes a bit lost in the translation. But I don't want to be like the film and not answer the main question in my post that they didn't answer in the movie, would you take manuscript and make it your own? The answer is definitely no I would think cause the consequences are too high plus I would feel guilty about it all the time especially if it became a hit. And that is no fun. See you won't get that kind of directness from this movie and honestly that might be part of why it didn't quite hit it off with film goers. Anyway it's a nice little drama with an interesting premise but you shouldn't kill yourself to get to the theater to see it this can definitely wait till DVD. Besides you may start having trouble finding it in theaters given the pitiful box office.

Grade: 3 Buckets

2012 Fall TV Lineup: Wednesday - Friday

WEDNESDAY: Hump day and it's looking like I'm taking a bit of a break from TV. I only have one returning show on Wednesday, Modern Family. Every year the show continues to keep the laughs going without sacrificing much in character development. They are entering their fourth year and things don't seem to be slowing down now that Gloria (Sofia Vergara) is pregnant, Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) cope with losing their adoption of a Mexican baby in hilarious fashion. And of course Phil (Ty Burrell), anything Phil does puts a smile on my face, I can't wait for the season premiere. Modern Family returns Sept. 26th at 9:00 PM on ABC.  Other returning shows that I don't watch or could care less about: Sept. 12 - The X-Factor at 8:00 PM on Fox. Sept. 19th - Survivor: Philippines at 8:00 PM on CBS, always a favorite at the Beke household. Sept. 26 - The Middle at 8:00 PM on ABC; Criminal Minds at 9:00 PM on CBS; Law & Order: SVU at 9:00 PM on NBC; CSI at 10:00 PM on CBS. Oct. 3 - Supernatural at 9:00 PM on the CW. Oct. 17th - Suburgatory at 9:30 PM on ABC.

Nashville

I saw the early trailers and it looks like a TV version of that movie with Gwyneth Paltrow called Country Strong. I had no interest in the movie and I don't have a lot of interest in the show. For starters Country is not my thing but I do love Connie Britton, who is playing the Gwyneth role here to Hayden Panettiere's young country starlet. Britton was fantastic on Friday Night Lights but again this just feels like a soap opera at the Grand Old Opry. If you are fan of country and if you like excellent performers and if you like just looking at Hayden Panettiere then this may be the show for you.

Nashville aires Oct. 10th at 10:00 PM on ABC

Arrow

Now here is one show on the CW I think I could get into to. As a comic book geek I'm always interested in Comic related TV shows. I watched Human Target and Smallville. Hell I even tried to watched the Cape and back in the day I watched that goofball Flash show. So I'm definitely going to give this one a shot especially since he's one of my favorite Comic heroes, Oliver Queen the Green Arrow. This show seems to be taking Ollie (Stephen Amell) to some dark places as he returns to Starling City (Why not call it Star City like in the comic, but what the hell I won't nitpick this as long as it's a good show.) after a harrowing escape from a deserted island that has changed him forever. He has thrown away the spoiled rich man's son and returned a determined agent of Justice who stalks the city's streets righting injustice as Arrow. I really did enjoy the trailer and I hope that this one goes a step further from Smallville and leave silliness out of it. The show boasts some pretty impressive people comic book writer and screenwriter Marc Guggenheim who has credits in film, tv and comics. He has written for the Amazing Spidey, Wolverine, Punisher as well as Aquaman, Flash and Justice Society of America. He wrote the Green Lantern film as well and he's currently writing a screenplay for the Flash. He also has credits on a few TV shows No Ordinary Family, Flash Forward and Brothers and Sisters to name a few. Greg Berlanti also shares credit on all of the above Film and TV credits as Guggenheim as well as a writer on Dawson's Creek.

Arrow aires Oct. 10th at 8:00 PM on the CW

Animal Practice

So this is the NBC show that they were pawning off on unsuspecting viewers during the Olympics and the result was not positive. So this is a screwball comedy about a veterinarian Dr. George Coleman (Justin Kirk) who works for his ex girlfriend who has just inherited an animal hospital that is complete disarray. Kirk is joined by funnyman Tyler Labine who looks like he's going to be 3 for 3 for his number of consecutive tv show fails. The trailers for this show just look terrible and it certainly feels like they are trying way too hard. But we'll see what the reaction is once this thing gets going, but I have a feeling this will be one of those that will be on the chopping block early. Or it could end up baffling people just like that awful show According to Jim which survived for 8 whole seasons.

Animal Practice aires Sept. 26 at 8:00PM on NBC

Guys With Kids

Apparently Jimmy Fallon is now getting into the producing game as he is putting himself out there for a new TV show. This one seems in line with films like Daddy Day Care and Mr. Mom as three thirty-something guys have to tackle the difficulties of taking care of babies especially when they are still acting like children. The show stars Anthony Anderson, Zach Cregger and Jesse Bradford. Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tempestt Bledsoe and Erinn Hayes are their significant others or exes. I didn't see the pilot yet so not clear on that yet. The early buzz has been negative but I wouldn't count out Fallon so quickly. Plus this could also fall into the According to Jim category of baffling success despite critics and taste.

Guys With Kids aired Sept. 12th 10:00 PM - it's regular time is 8:30 PM on NBC

The Neighbors

This was the one a few months ago that critics were screaming for the heads of the executives at ABC. Apparently the early screenings had a decidedly negative effect on avid watchers. I noticed my regular geek sites also trounced this new wacky comedy as being an even lower rent version of Dinosaurs from the 90's, Ouch. The Neighbors is about an average family, Debbie (Jami Gertz) and Marty (Lenny Venito) that move into a new neighborhood only to discover their neighbors are actually aliens in disguise. I only saw a brief teaser but this one does look a bit obnoxious and I can see it testing audiences patience quickly. The show is produced and the pilot is directed by Chris Koch who has credits as director on Modern Family, Raising Hope, Cougar Town and Scrubs. Also features screenwriter Dan Fogelman (Crazy Stupid Love, Cars 2 and Tangled). Seems like they have some talented folk here but not sure if that is enough from what I'm hearing. But time will tell.

The Neighbors aires Sept. 26th at 9:30 PM - it's regular time will be 8:30 PM on ABC.

Chicago Fire

Dick Wolf is returning to TV without the allure of a Law and Order before the title. It seems simple enough firefighters in Chicago. Could have some appeal although I don't know how you can top Rescue Me when it comes to the ultimate fire fighting show. The creators of the show along with Wolf have a pretty impressive resume in TV. Writer/Producer Joe Chappelle has writing, directing and producing credits on shows like Fringe, The Wire and CSI Miami. Also writers Michael Brandt & Derek Haas who have screenwriting credits on hit movies like 3:10 to Yuma, Wanted and the Double.  It'll be interesting if NBC can turn this show into the Fire Fighting version of E.R. Unfortunately for them I'm just not interested in a show like this at the moment as I have probably exceeded my limit of possible shows to watch but if it makes it maybe it'll be one I'll try to Netflix in the future.

Chicago Fire aires Oct. 10th at 10:00 PM on NBC

THURSDAY: There are definitely a few new shows I'm interested in checking out on Thursday the prime one being Last Resort. I saw the trailer earlier this year and they hooked me. I'm also intrigued by new show Elementary about an American twist on Sherlock Holmes. There are of course a few returning shows that I'm looking forward to as well. Let's start with Up All Night, it was a really cute show when Tamar and I started watching and It kept getting better to become one of our favorites last year. It's especially nice to see a pretty honest comedy about the difficulties of dealing with babies and since we're going to be dealing with two ourselves I'm hoping the show will keep us laughing as we dive into diapers and bottles again after a three year hiatus. Up All Night returns for it's second season on Sept. 20th at 8:30 PM.  I'm also looking forward to finding out how the Office is going to end it's 9th season and series finale. The last few years have been a chaotic mess but I've stuck around through all of it even after Steve Carrel left and the constant Managerial changes. So lets see if they can go out on a high note. I think it helps bringing back former showrunner Greg Daniels is a good first step. The Office returns Sept. 20th at 9:00 PM on NBC. It also looks like 30 Rock is heading into their seventh and final season. I really loved this show but going into season 5 and 6 I lost interest and now I've had trouble trying to catch up. I may just try to watch this season regardless of missing most of last season and season 6. I know the characters well so it shouldn't be that hard to catch up. 30 Rock returns Oct. 4 at 8:00 PM on NBC. One of my other favorite shows from last year was Person of Interest it had a great cast in Michael Emerson and Jim Cavizel and I really dug the premise. Unfortunately I lost my cable and I ended up missing my window on the last episodes so I missed the last two or three. Mostly because it's another damn CBS show and I just didn't have the time to catch them on the CBS site. So I'm going to have to wait for the DVD's on Netflix and see how I can catch up to this season. Person of Interest returns on Sept. 27th at 9:00 PM on CBS. Here are the rest of the shows that are returning that I haven't had the chance to watch or don't have any interest to: Sept 13 - Glee returned for it's fourth season at 9:00 PM on Fox. Sept. 20 - Parks and Recreation returns at 9:30 PM on NBC, I still want to try and watch this show as it enters its 5th season. Cody has told me continuously that this is a great show but I just haven't had the chance to check it out, maybe this year. Sept 27 - The Big Bang Theory, another favorite of my sister-in-law, I saw the first couple episodes and it was cute but for some reason I just couldn't get into it which baffled me given they make references to all the things I like, comics, Star Trek, Star Wars etc. I may come back to it down the road but for now it's not on my que. The Big Bang Theory returns for it's sixth season at 8:00 PM on CBS, and it's on CBS again, ugh; Scandal returns for it's second season at 10:00 PM on ABC; Two and a Half Men returns for its tenth season at 8:30 PM on CBS; Grey's Anatomy returns for it's ninth season at 9:00 PM on ABC, I tried to watch this show but I struggled mightily through two seasons before I had to shut it off. Tamar and her sister got through at least 8 or 9 before they finally pulled the plug. Oct. 11 - The Vampire Diaries returns for it's fourth season at 8:00 PM on the CW.

Last Resort

Of all the new shows other than Revolution this is the one I have been most excited to check out. The trailer was quite frankly awesome and felt like a movie, which is also part of the problem. How do you sustain a show of that magnitude for one whole season much less many? I don't have an answer to that question but I'm very curious to find out. Nuclear Submarine Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and his XO Sam (Scott Speedman) go rogue after an unverified government official orders Chaplin to launch Nukes on Pakistan he refuses and asks for authentication. Before he can get it his boat is attacked by what would appear to be American forces. He hides the sub and crew on a nearby island and begins the investigation into who ordered the attack and why he and his men have been framed as traitors. A very cool premise and it appears to be a great cast. Not to mention the showrunner is a favorite of mine, Shawn Ryan who created the Shield.

Last Resort aires on Sept. 27th at 8:00 PM on ABC


Elementary

This is yet another re-imagining of the Sherlock Holmes mythology. A few years ago the BBC put out a popular modernization of the character called Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch. Honestly I want to believe this could work in the U.S. and NYC but I am skeptical. It's kind of like taking Batman out of Gotham and transplanting him somewhere else. It's hard to separate Sherlock Holmes from England and I imagine that is going to be the constant problem. Also not sure how Lucy Liu will fare playing a female Watson. I guess they can take Holmes' and Watson's romantic relationship to the ultimate conclusion that has been suspect by many readers of the original text. Showrunner Rob Doherty is best known for his producing/writing on shows like Medium, Tru Calling, Ringer and Point Pleasant. Again I would like to give this one a chance but being on CBS might make that a bit difficult. So time will tell.

Elementary aires Sept. 27th at 10:00 PM on CBS

Beauty and the Beast

I'll make this one brief--I have no desire whatsoever to watch this show it looks and sounds God awful. It is yet another attempt to remake another classic book and tv series. It feels like a desperate attempt to cling on to recent fairy tale shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time. Given that it's on the CW it may get a longer run then it deserves. It does sport a very soapy dramatic group of peeps especially with Weepy eyed Kristin Kruek of Smallville fame. Don't know much about the guy playing the Beast, Jay Ryan but it sounds like they are trying really hard to concoct a convoluted conspiracy story to attract viewers with some 9/11 ties and other mysteries. But it's not any concern of mine cause I'll be sitting this one out.

Beauty and the Beast aires Sept. 27th at 9:00 PM on the CW

FRIDAY: And we have arrived at the day where shows normally go to die. Ironically some of my favorite shows are on Friday and they have suffered greatly for being on this day. Fringe being the prime one. It's one of the best shows on TV bar-none and depending on how they end their series finale this year after 5 seasons will determine if it was one of the best Sci-Fi shows ever. Tamar and I have been anticipating what will happen next after we got a sense of the future in that one random episode last year where Peter (Joshua Jackson), Walter (John Noble) and Astrid (Jasika Cole) were frozen in amber and extracted 20 years later to find the strange beings known as the Observers have taken over the planet, and it's up to the crew to find out what the hell happened to Olivia (Anna Torv). Fringe returns Sept. 28th at 9:00 PM on Fox. One of my favorite comedies over the past few years has to be Community with this awesomely crazy cast of characters Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown, Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong and Jim Rash, I'm looking forward to season four. I'm also curious to see if it can still bring the funny after the departure of their former showrunner and creator Dan Harmon. I have faith that the show will continue being funny but sometimes when you lose your creator a lot of times you lose your way. Community returns Oct.19 at 8:30 PM on NBC. Along with the Good Wife I was able to keep up with this CBS show all the way to the end last year. Now that they are starting their third season I'm curious to see if they ramp up the plotlines a bit. The strength of the show is the familial relationships but a lot of times Tom Selleck's patriarch police commissioner seems a little too perfect to be believed, not to mention that the show tends to be a bit holier than thou. It doesn't keep me from enjoying the show but they need to tone it down a bit.  Blue Bloods returns Sept. 28th at 10:00 PM on CBS.  Grimm is starting it's second season and it is turning out to be a favorite of mine. I really enjoy the fractured fairy tale element and I think it's a nice change of pace from the kitchy fun of Once Upon a Time, Grimm is a bit more Buffy with out the catchy dialogue. David Giuntoli's Nick took a little while to warm up to but by mid-season last year I was excited to follow him against another crazy shape-changing wolf like creature. Also really like Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and the rest of the new Scooby gang, Hank (Russell Hornsby), Rosalee (Bree Turner) and Sgt. Wu (Reggie Lee). Grimm aired Aug. 13th on NBC at 9:00 PM. And here are the shows I haven't had a chance to watch or don't care to: Sept. 14th - Shark Tank returns for it's fourth season at 8:00 PM on ABC. Sept. 28th - CSI: NY returns for it's ninth season at 8:00 PM on CBS. Oct. 19 - Nikita  a very cool looking action spy flick now starting it's third season at 9:00  PM on the CW;  Whitney returns for it's second season at 8:00 PM on NBC. Oct. 26th - Touch returns for it's second season at 8:00 PM on Fox. Nov. 2nd -  Last Man Standing returns for it's second season at 8:00 PM on ABC.

Malibu Country

This one looks like a reboot of the old sitcom Reba, if you were a fan of that show then you will probably enjoy Malibu Country. Given that this it's debut and having seen the trailer I can see why they moved it to Friday. I wonder how long this show will be able to last but I didn't know much about that Reba show and it did go for a few seasons, so who knows. It's Reba McEntire, she's a country singer who is now acting, not sure if it works but obviously someone likes it.

Malibu Country aires November 2nd at 8:30 PM on ABC.

Made in Jersey

This is a new drama that according to the showrunner, Dana Calvo,  is a TV version of the film the Fighter from last year. Calvo is known for his producing/writing credits on such shows as Covert Affairs, Franklin and Bash and Greek. Made in Jersey is about a salty NJ family who really have a tough time trusting outsiders from the Family. Apparently it revolves around a young man and his tough ass sisters. Eh, could work but again it's starting out on a Friday and it just seems like it could be a dramatized version of the Jersey Shore. I hope not but time will tell. It's another CBS show so I doubt this one will ever make my radar.

Made in Jersey aires Sept. 28th at 9:00 PM on CBS.

2012 Fall TV Lineup: Sunday - Tuesday

Well it's that time of the year again the leaves are falling off the trees, kids are going back to school and there are new and interesting things to watch on TV-- at least I hope. I dumped Cable and I'm able to watch almost everything on the Roku. Sports, CBS & HBO are unfortunately not included in my package but that's what the internet is for. I'm preparing to introduce two new ones to the Marvin clan. I don't expect to get much sleep, nor am I expecting to speak normally or be able to function properly in general but I do expect to watch a butt load of TV. That's what you do when you find yourself rocking and nursing babies keeping your mind on the beautiful escapism of the boob tube and I intend on escaping as much as humanly possible. This year the networks have provided the usual smorgasbord of comedies, dramas, sci/fi and yet more comedies.  So lets not waste time and get down to some business.

SUNDAY: Sunday has lately been the prime viewing of the week. All the best shows for Cable and the Networks seem to crop up on this day. For returning shows one of my favorites is The Good Wife which returns  for it's 4th season on Sept. 30th on CBS at 9:00 PM.  I'm also a big fan of Revenge which returns for its second season on Sept. 30th on ABC at 9:00 PM. And yes I've been watching Once Upon a Time. I know it's a little kitschy but it's fun. It's starting it's second season on Sept. 30th on ABC at 8PM. On HBO Boardwalk Empire Returns this coming Sunday the 16th at 9:00 PM for it's third season. I'm a little behind on The Walking Dead I was only able to see the first season and then I lost my cable and I haven't been able to catch up ever since and now they are on their third season starting on AMC at 9:00 PM tomorrow Oct. 14th. I'm also behind on Dexter by about two seasons as it is about to start season six on Showtime at 9:00 PM on Sept. 30th. Another Showtime Show that I completely missed last year that blew up big is Homeland on Showtime which aires Sept. 30 at 10:00 PM. I'm going to have to wait for DVD on this one but I do intend to watch this one as soon as humanly possible. Other returning shows that I don't watch or don't care to watch are: Sept. 23 - Treme at 10:00 PM on HBO; Oct. 21 - The Cleveland Show at 7:30 PM on Fox; Oct. 30 - The Amazing Race at 8:00 PM on CBS, The Simpsons at 8:00 PM on Fox, Bob's Burgers at 8:30 PM on Fox, Family Guy at 9:00 PM on Fox, American Dad at 9:30 PM on Fox, The Mentalist at 10:00 PM on CBS. Apparently there is only one new show airing on Sunday:

666 Park Avenue

The trailers for this one were definitely intriguing. It seemed a lot like the movie Devil's Advocate with a much more subtle devil in Terry O'Quinn. Frankly if it were anybody else I may not be as interested but no one can question the awesomeness of O'Quinn especially in a setting like this. The premise of this show follows a couple who move into this palatial Park Avenue Apartment Building and are seemingly manipulated by resident owners played by Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams. This seems like a particularly fun show, and as my friend Cody would say, deliciously evil. I'm also encouraged by creator David Wilcox's resume. He's been a writer and producer on one of my favorite shows on TV Fringe for the past 3 seasons. There is also Producer Matthew Miller who also has some pretty good shows, at least in my opinion, under his belt. Like Chuck when it was still pretty good he seemed to have left before it started to go south in 2010. He also has credits on Las Vegas and Human Target which were both enjoyable shows. Especially Human Target which was woefully promoted on Fox until it's untimely demise. In the end I just hope that O'Quinn isn't just some cardboard cut out devil incarnate and that there is much more to this picture. But for now they have me and I intend to give this one a shot.

Aires September 30th at 10:00 PM on ABC

MONDAY: This one is shaping into an interesting day. You have a few new ones including a J.J. Abrams produced show which should be an automatic watch at least for the first few episodes. I'll put my review below but I can thankfully say after watching the sneak peek it was a great improvement from the snoozer Alcatraz from last year. I really wanted to enjoy that show. Alcatraz had a great premise but the execution and the story telling just felt like a rehash of other more popular shows and characters. It was a justified cancellation for sure. A certain returning show on Monday is one of the wife's and my new favorites, Castle. We started watching Castle on a whim earlier this year mostly cause we both love star Nathan Fillion and we were rewarded with a clever show with Procedural elements but mostly interesting characters and some pretty twisty fun story arcs. I suggest if you haven't seen Castle you should check it out on Hulu or you can get the first 4 seasons on discs at Netflix. Castle returns on Sept. 24th at 10:00 PM on ABC. Also returning is another favorite of ours is Bones which left us with a doozy of a cliffhanger where a smart ass psychopathic hacker has killed and framed Brennan forcing her to take her newborn baby on the run. Bones returns on Sept. 17th at 8:00 PM on Fox. I used to watch Hawaii Five-O back when I had cable but CBS makes it so damn hard to watch any of their network shows I put it on hold for a while so I could watch The Good Wife and Blue Bloods. Honestly CBS needs to update their website watching episodes on there can be painful. I wish they would take the hint and allow their shows on Hulu. Anyway the team at Hawaii Five-O returns for it's third seson on Sept 24th at 10:00 PM on CBS. Other returning  shows are How I Met Your Mother, a favorite of my sister-in-law, comes back for it's 8th season on Sept. 24th at 8:00 PM on CBS. I tried to watch 2 Broke Girls last year as it starts it's second season. I really like Kat Denning but the writing on this show is too sarcastic for it's on good, it borders on obnoxious and it falls into some bad stereotypes with some of the supporting characters. But if you are hooked I ain't gonna stop you. 2 Broke Girls returns on Sept. 24th at 9:00 PM on CBS. Other returning shows that I don't watch or really care that much about are:Sept. 24th - Dancing With the Stars: All Stars at 8:00 PM on ABC; Mike and Molly at 9:30 on CBS. Oct. 8th - 90210 at 8:00 PM on the CW; Gossip Girl at 9:00 PM on the CW.

Revolution

I got a chance to see a sneak preview this past weekend on Hulu. We start out with the premise that we as a culture are way to attached to our digital devices. It explores the quandary proposed if we were to suddenly lose those devices would our society crumble to ashes. The answer is a grey one as we see that a post-apocalyptic world has been created out of the ashes but it feels more like they are shot back to more simpler times before the Industrial Revolution. It is not fully explained what happened to all of the tech and it seems to be squarely on one family starting with their patriarch Ben (Tim Guinee) his two kids Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), Danny (Graham Rogers) and his estranged brother Miles (Billy Burke). A seemingly psychotic leader of a Militia group thinks that Ben has the secret to turn on the juice and he is willing to kill everyone around him to get what he wants. It's certainly an ambitious program with a lot of different avenues to explore. It looks like they are doing a combination of tricks from Lost with the flashbacks interspersed with the present. After watching big bombs over the last few years like Terra Nova, the Event and FlashForward this one feels the most fleshed out and evenly paced. I really enjoyed the pilot and almost all the characters. There is a really great hook here and I think that if they can sustain the momentum from this first episode then I think you can expect to see a nice long run. The creator Showrunner is Eric Kripke who was the showrunner/writer of the cult favorite Supernatural. As an added bonus Iron Man Director Jon Favreau is also a creative consultant and he directed the pilot. Also, as mentioned above J.J. Abrams is listed as a producer. Just looking at the names it looks like this show is in very good hands. And since this is Fringe's last season it'll be nice to transition into another smart sci/fi show. If you haven't seen the pilot yet you can catch the debut on:

Aires September 17th at 10:00 PM on NBC

Partners

I don't know much about this show other than seeing the trailer. It's a sit-com with laugh track about two childhood friends, Louis (Michael Urie) and Joe (David Krumholtz) who are roommates and partners in their Architecture firm and an added twist Louis is Gay and Joe is straight. Apparently this scenario is based on Showrunners David Kohan and Max Mutchnick's actual relationship. Kohan and Mutchnick are known for their biggest TV hit Will & Grace. The trailer was funny and looks like it could be cute but I really hope they lose the laugh track quick. I have had real trouble watching shows lately that institute the laugh track it's distracting and they laugh at everything even the shit that isn't funny and sometimes it makes watching the show unbearable. It's one of the things I didn't like about How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls and I just couldn't watch them anymore. If you are a fan of Will and Grace then I'm sure you will love this new show. It seems to have a pretty great cast and it does look genuinely funny. But it's on CBS and if you read my rant on Sunday I probably won't be catching this one live. If it makes a few seasons I may be able to catch it on Netflix streaming.

Aires September 24th at 8:30 PM on CBS
  
The Mob Doctor

I caught the trailer for this one the other day and was intrigued. It's a drama about a resident Dr. Grace Devlin (Jordana Brewster) in Chicago who finds herself in a pickle. Her brother has a astronomical debt to the Mob whom she has grown up with her whole life. She is forced to live a dual life as a physician for the public and providing her medical expertise for some nefarious folk behind the scenes. Looks like an interesting dilemma, I'm sort of on the fence about this one. I can only watch so much stuff. It looks like it should be playing on Hulu so we'll have to see. It does have some pretty familiar faces especially William Forsythe who is playing what he plays best, a bad ass mobster.

Aires September 17th at 9:00 PM on Fox

TUESDAY: Holy Crap the networks seem to have dumped a bunch of shows on Tuesday new and old. Tuesday is going to be a bloodbath I have this feeling. There are quite a few returning shows here so let's see if we can hit them all. One of my favorite comedies of last year New Girl is back for it's second season. This was a genuinely sweet and funny comedy that did have a few bumps especially in the last episode where it seemed like the writers just decided to get a little lazy for the climax as things went back to normal after Nick (Jake M. Johnson) moves in with his ex and then just as quickly moves right back in regardless of the sexual tension they created between him and Jess (Zooey Deschanel) all season. It was sort of weird as it seemed like it was going to leave the season on a cliffhanger and then they just don't. But it still doesn't diminish the hilarious power of Schmidt (Max Greenfield) I'll definitely be tuning in for the season premiere. New Girl returns on Sept. 25th at 8:00 PM on Fox.  Parenthood is returning for it's 4th season and even though almost all the characters tried my damn patience last year I'm still hooked on the show and I'm looking forward to Showrunner Jason Katims to right the ship from last years uneven tone and silliness to hopefully reach some Friday Night Lights level of drama. I may be asking for too much though. Anyway Parenthood came back on Sept. 11 at 10:00 PM on NBC. Here are some other shows that are returning that I don't watch or don't care to: Sept. 11 - Sons of Anarchy at 10:00 PM on Fox. Sept. 25 - NCIS at 8:00 PM on CBS; NCIS Los Angeles at 9:00 PM on CBS; Private Practice at 10:00 PM on ABC. Oct 2 - Raising Hope at 8:00 PM on Fox; Hart of Dixie at 8:00 PM on The CW. Oct. 23rd - Happy Endings at 9:00 PM on ABC; Don't Trust the B-- in Apt. 23 at 9:30 PM on ABC.

Go On

I got a chance to see the sneak preview on Hulu a couple of weeks ago. NBC is smelling of desperation as they have gone insane this summer especially during the Olympics to promote these new comedies. The critics seem to think that this show could survive but it did get a mixed bag. I liked it but I like Matthew Perry, if you find him annoying then I suggest you not watch this at all. He's in full Chandler mode from Friends on this show and he tried even my patience a few times but I liked the cast of characters and I think over time this has real potential to grow as a comedy. Its in the vein of Community where you have a collection of people with different backgrounds coming together for grief counseling. It does have a bit of a dark edge since the main character is trying to find his laughter again after his wife is killed in an accident. But again it does have potential and I have faith in Perry to deliver it. Plus no laugh track. Thank God!

Go On aired on Sept. 11 at 9:00 PM on NBC

The Mindy Project

Tamar and I decided to watch this sneak preview mostly cause I was curious to see how funny creator and star Mindy Kaling could be outside of the Office. It wasn't bad I know Tamar really enjoyed it, it was a bit Chic-lite for me but Mindy is funny and I liked the cast. Mindy plays an ob-gyn who as most people do on these shows struggles with her sex life, but I will say that is the only thing that makes this a generic rom-com show. For one the lead is a smart Indian female doctor you don't see too many shows like that around. I think this has potential to be a hit with women and couples especially if they keep bringing the funny, and again no laugh track.

The Mindy Project aires Sept. 25 at 9:30 PM on Fox

Ben And Kate

It did just occur to me I got to see a lot of early previews here, since I don't have cable I'm not sure how available they are on TV but it's kind of cool to be able to see the Pilot episodes before the release to get a sense of these shows. Especially the comedies. Tamar and I really liked this one about a Brother and Sister, Ben (Nat Faxon) and Kate (Dakota Johnson). Ben is a man-child but a funny one at that and his little sister is Kate a single mom who is the straight man or straight woman of the duo. It's silly and charming and I think it could work as a safe comedy that isn't begging for laughs for 30 minutes as a lot of situational comedy has. It's not quite Modern Family but it definitely has potential.

Ben and Kate aires Sept. 25 at 8:30 PM on Fox

The New Normal

This is the new controversial show that has angered Conservative Christians all over the country once they heard the premise of this one. A Gay couple Andrew (Andrew Rennels) and David (Justin Bartha) are attempting to start their own family via a surrogate named Goldie (Georgia King) and all the trials and tribulations that come with raising a child. I'm not a fan of Glee it's a little too over the top for me and I hate musicals so I was intrigued to see what Showrunner Ryan Murphy could do with a show without a lot of teens singing and dancing. I did a little digging and I discovered that Ryan Murphy also created one of Cody's favorite shows American Horror Story which from what he tells me is the complete opposite of Glee. This is probably one of the more controversial new shows this year. Although some of the early reviews have panned it as overly stereotypical and some felt the cast was uneven. But I haven't seen it so I can't comment.

The New Normal aired Sept. 10th at 10:00 PM on NBC

Emily Owens M.D. 

I didn't see this one but it looks like Mindy has some competition for funny lady doctors. I can't really judge this one from just the synopsis but--A heavily monologued dramedy about a Intern, Emily Owens (Maime Gummer) at a Denver Hospital where she has catty relationships with a Fre-enemy and romantic relationships with other doctors--wait a minute this sounds like Grey's Anatomy. I know it's Meryl Streep's kid but I don't think I'll be watching this one. I'm already bored and it's on the CW. Double whammy.

Emily Owens aires Oct. 16th at 9:00 PM on the CW

Vegas

I saw a quick teaser for this one a couple weeks ago and I was intrigued. For one it's about Mobsters in the 60's in Vegas. I always have a soft spot in my heart for Gangsters some of my favorite shows of all time Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire and favorite flicks are Goodfellas, Godfather I & II and Casino. So this is certainly right up my alley. Then I saw that it was written by Mob writer extraordinaire Nicholas Pileggi and the pilot is directed by James Mangold (Copland, 3:10 to Yuma & Walk the Line). How can I not watch this! Based on the true story of a rancher turned Sheriff, Ralph Lamb (Denis Quaid), who has to contend with the Hoods flying into Vegas as they begin their hostile takeover of the little desert community. He has to contend with slick mobsters like Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis). It's great to see Chiklis playing a morally gray character again after a brief hiatus to play superhero in Fantastic Four and that Fantastic Four style ugh worthy show No Ordinary Family. It's nice to see a version of Vic Mackey back in bad ass mode again. I'm definitely going to try to--shit it's on CBS--ugh, I guess I'll have to figure out a way to watch this on-line.

Vegas aires Sept. 25th at 10:00 PM on CBS    

Lawless

This is the first of two big Mafia related flicks that are due out over the next year or so.  You may have heard about Gangster Squad starring Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Josh Brolin. After the incident in Colorado Warner Brothers flipped out and cut a scene of a violent shoot out at a movie theatre from the film and moved the date to January 2013. I personally think they were overreacting but I'm sure Lawless is happy to have them move to keep the momentum on them for a while as it was supposed to be released this coming Friday the 7th of September.  Lawless is the first real commercial film for Director John Hillcoat who is known for his gritty, dark and bloody Indie films like the Road and the Proposition. He is joined again with his screenwriter Nick Cave who also wrote the bad ass western the Proposition. Lawless is a cross between Public Enemy and Boardwalk Empire. It didn't have the most audacious open but it was solid enough, it'll be interesting to see how it fares once the September films start heating up.

This is amazingly a true story based on the book The Wettest County in the World, written by Matt Bondurant about his Grandfather and his brothers Jack (Shia LaBeouf), Forrest (Tom Hardy) and Howard (Jason Clark) during Prohibition. These three brothers ran a tight operation of Moonshine distribution in Franklin, Virginia until a corrupt Lawman Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) decides to wet his beak by force. A gang war of sorts is begun between the slick Chicago lawman and the backwoods rednecks the Bondurants.

Right off the bat you could see one of Hillcoat's strengths is visuals and atmosphere. Being a native of North Carolina and a relative Virginian as well as a frequent traveler, it had the feeling of being in the Smoky Mountains. The cast was pretty fantastic even Shia was pretty good and that's saying something. Like Public Enemy you get a sense of Americana when times are tough and these guys are doing what they can to get by. They are proud and stubborn but interesting and they don't like to be told what to do. Especially Tom Hardy's Forrest he doesn't say much but what he doesn't say speaks volumes about his character. It is amazing what this guy goes through and somehow finds a way to survive. If it wasn't a true story I might have called bullshit a few times in there. It is pretty incredible. While Shia's Jack can't ever shut the hell up. He's impetuous and he's always at the forefront of all the problems the Brothers encounter. He can't be held fully responsible for his character's actions since that is how he's supposed to be but damn he plays that obnoxious confidence with ease. His moments with love interest Bertha (Mia Wasilkowska) were fun as she is wooed over to the dark side from what I assume is her devout Quaker Father. Part of me enjoyed Guy Pearce's relentless beat down on Jack cause let's face it some times Shia just deserves a few kicks to the gut. He played an evil bastard nancy boy masterfully. Such a bazaar performance but certainly effective. He could get a surprise Oscar nod down the road.  I also thought Jessica Chastain was great as Maggie, it was a small role but she mixed it up with the brothers nicely. The pacing wasn't bad but I felt they focused a bit too much on Jack and I was disappointed that they didn't extend the bubble out to Forrest and Howard who were many ways much more interesting. Which brings me to the weakest part of the film, the relationship between the Brothers. The connection between the three of them felt more stilted then brotherly and when the action starts up and they are under siege they begin to feel more like close friends then siblings. I thought the relationship between Jack and Cricket Pate (Dane DeHaan) was more brotherly than the actual brothers and he was just a family friend who was the genius behind their special batch of Moonshine. I also was disappointed that Gary Oldman's Floyd Banner didn't have much to do. He shows up shooting his Tommy Gun and then disappears for most of the film only to turn up briefly again halfway through. I mean it's great to get Oldman for the role but it was so inconsequential yet he played it so well it just sucked to see him in what really amounts to a cameo role. It is a brutal flick that certainly rivals the violence of Boardwalk Empire but it's a worthy action drama in the realm of Bonnie and Clyde and Public Enemy.  If you get a chance to check this out you won't be disappointed.

Grade: 3 Buckets