Desperate Housewives Finale - A Spoilerific and Picture Heavy Goodbye

There is so much I want to say. It's hard to gather my thoughts on a series that I have loved for 8 seasons. Desperate Housewives was a clever parody on soap opera tropes while still being a well written show. I was instantly enchanted. Though never self referential, I always got the feeling that these characters knew they were in a crazy soap opera and they found it somewhat amusing. It's that kind of nod to the audience that got me to keep watching for 8 seasons.

The show dealt with issues such as suicide, domestic abuse, child abuse, matricide, patricide and of murder to name a few. Among all of this craziness, the show retained a sweetness and a theme of friendship that is sure to resonate past it's 8 seasons.

The 2 hour finale also saw the closing of several plotlines and sent all of the characters out of Wisteria Lane for their happy endings and even left the series open for another episode, albeit one without our favorite characters.

Let's say goodbye to those characters:

Susan Mayer 

\

This woman went through two husbands and more love triangles than I can even remember. She's always going to be that pretty girl that falls flat on her face, but always picks herself up. Goodbye Susan.

Lynette Scavo

Her relationship with her husband is to me how a healthy couple should be. Her legion of kids tells me that this girl really needs to up her birth control. She was always the housewife that was grounded in reality. She was also kick-ass: She saved Celia Solis from near death by plane, she stood up for herself when she was held hostage, She dealt with the killer of Wisteria while she was pregnant with baby Paige. What I adore most was her relationship with her first born daughter Penny. Goodbye Lynette.

Bree Van de Kamp

Called the Mayor of Stepford by her gay son Andrew. Bree tried her best to be the best mother and wife for her family, but sadly her family didn't want none of that. Her first husband Rex was into SM and was murdered by their pharmacist who later on became her fiancee. Rex was then slowly offed by Bree, though indirectly. Her second husband Orson tried to kill her friend Mike. Orson's mother in turn tried to kill Bree. Bree prevailed though. Her relationship with her gay son was it's own rollercoaster. Andrew tried to destroy his mother, slept with her boyfriend and then was abandoned on the road when Bree couldn't take anymore of his antics. After spending a considerable amount of time on the street doing you-know-what, Andrew and his mother grew close and she even came to accept that he was just born the way he is. He's gay and she loves him. I think I'll miss you most of all Bree.

Gabriel Solis

Where can I even begin with this one. She opens the series sleeping her beefy teenage gardener behind her working husband's back, and ends the series being the bread winner and still with her husband. Having so many ups and downs, it's amazing to see that Gabi and her longtime on again, off again husband have accepted that they belong together. Her relationship with her two daughters is amazing considering she never wanted to kids. Though she did suffer a miscarriage and suffered the loss of a child when her adopted daughter was taken away. Throughout the series, Gabriel proved that she was never as shallow as even she believed she was. I will miss you Gabi.

Mary Alice Young

Her suicide started the whole ball rolling. Her narration from the grave helped to bring the themes of the episodes together and her relationship with her friends was always sweet and devoted. The literally unseen fifth cast member, she wouldn't just narrate, she would be watching over her friends and family. She will be missed. Goodbye Mary Alice Young.

I highly recommend a viewing of this series. Very well written, very well paced and for a soap opera, the attention to continuity is amazing. 

And don't check it out for the strong men... 

...check it out for the strong women :-)

Most importantly, check it out when the complete series box set comes out in September. 

Dark Shadows - A Fun Dark Romp

Tim Burton directs a movie staring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfieffer, Helena Bonham Carter and Chloe Grace Moretz. A film written by Seth Graham-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). A film with Colleen Atwood costumes and a score by Danny Elfman. I'm so already there. It's only a bonus that the movie happens to be based on Dark Shadows, a supernatural soap opera from the 60s.

I grew up with Dark Shadows, but was never really a fan. It was always in repeats in my youth and was always aired right before a cartoon I would watch. It would be like I would watch Robotech, but after the closing spooky credits of Dark Shadows. Or I'd be watching Jem and there'd be a commercial featuring Barnabas Collins right before the "... and now back to Jem" eyecatch.

I only started watching a handfull of the episodes before viewing this movie, as well as reading some literature on the subject. From what little I've seen and read, this movie is pretty faithfull to the material while also being it's own film. No previous viewing of the gajillion episodes will be needed for this film. This is a stand alone movie.

The story centers on Barnabas Collins, introduced via an awesome intro that takes place in the 1700s. He scorns the witch Angelique. Angelique then turns him into a vampire and he is eventually trapped in a coffin until reawakening in the 1970s, uniting with his 1970's descendants which include Elizabeth Stoddard, the matriarch. Her brother Roger and his son David, and her daughter Carolyn. Also joining the family is Dr. Julia Hoffman and the new nanny, Victoria Winters. Everyone has a past, everyone has a story and everyone gets involved.

Eva Green as Angelique.

The central story in all of the plotlines involved is Barnabas and his fued with the witch Angelique, who is very much alive in the 1970s and still trying to win his heart by any evil means necessary.

Keeping in mind that the source material for this film is a soap opera, I noticed that there is a lot of ground to cover and sadly not every character got to shine properly. I really wanted to say that the juggling of a huge cast of characters was successful in this motion picture, but it is not. Though it all does come together in the end.

The acting in this movie is hilarious. There are a lot of funny moments scattered throughout that are played as serious. A lot of the comedy comes from how serious the movie takes itself. I had a blast.

The performances are all top notch, I got the feeling I was watching a play at times, but I was left wanting more from those supporting the central story.

A huge plus for the movie was the pacing of the story. Graham's script allows the story to unravel organically. Not to say that it's slow though. Once the poo hits the fan, the poo hits the fan. The film concludes explosively.

I enjoyed the movie immensely and I had HIGH expectations. I was not disappointed. It needs to come out on Blu Ray already.

... The Carpenters make an appearance in this movie too ;-)

If you liked this article, check these out:

House of Dark Shadows - Now That's a Vampire Drama - The movie for the original series.

Let Me In - Vampires and Bullies - The remake of the awesome foreign movie Let the Right One In.Stars Dark Shadow's Chloe Grace Moretz.

The Witches of Oz - Definitely Not in Kansas Anymore...

(the review contains spoilers, but you might want to read it anyway)


Ooooh Witches of Oz. Where can I begin? I know very little of this production. My first impression was that it looked like it was made by a group of Oz Book fans who wanted to put a contemporary spin to the Oz books that wasn't as dark as Syfy's Tin Man.


The story goes like this:


Frank and Maude in the late 1800s move to Kansas with their daughter Dorothy Gale. Dorothy gets lost in a twister with her dog Toto. With Dorothy missing for days, her mother, Maude finds a crystal ball in her lost daughter's room that shows that Dorothy is fine. She is in a fantastical land called Oz. Through the crystal ball, Frank, Maude and their new daughter watch Dorothy as she remains ageless and has many heroic adventures in Oz.


Frank is inspired and writes a series of books about Dorothy's adventures. The stories are passed on down to Frank's grandson's Henry, who eventually moves to the Kansas house with his wife Emily after Frank and Maude have died.


In 1992, another twister hits. In the aftermath of that twister, Henry and Emily find a little girl asleep in front of their house. It's Dorothy.


Dorothy grows up to believe that all she has experience in Oz was a dream. She writes a series of Oz sequel books that she feels are based off of her grandfather's classical books (which are now in public domain). She travels to New York to get her series of books published. She is not in Kansas anymore.


Thus begins our story, which I think borrows a little bit from Frank Beddor's Alice in Wonderland reimagining, Looking Glass Wars. That one needs to be a movie already.


I was immediately pulled into the story, though layered and twisted it can be. By twisted, I don't mean sick and nasty, but crazy and windy. Like a twister. There are a whole lot of twists in this 2 1/2 hour Oz outing.


Immediately, I fell in love with this new Dorothy, played here by Paulie Rojas. Paulie has these big wide expressive anime eyes that go perfect with this character. She is sweet, pleasant and very very easy to love.


Some big names make some appearances. Lord of the Rings alumnis Sean Astin and Billy Boyd appear. Christopher Loyd makes an appearance as The Wizard of Oz himself.


Mia Sara makes an appearance as Langwidere, kinda. Langwidere is a Princess who has possession of many heads (Mombi from the Return to Oz movie was given this character trait). Mia Sara plays one of the heads. Sadly, she doesn't appear in the movie as often as someone like her should. I mean, come on, she was in Legend AND played Harley Quin in Birds of Prey. 


There are also many cameos from Oz characters that are rarely seen on film. Off the top of my head I remember seeing Ozma, Jack Pumpkinhead, Tic Tok, The Witch of the East in her full glory and Locasta the other good witch. 


I felt that the movie was borrowing a little bit from Gregory Macguire's Wicked in their characterization of The Witch of the West, but oddly enough, that drew me in even more. A major plus for me was that her look was based off of how L. Frank Baum describes her in the books while still retaining her iconic imagery that was established by MGM.

The movie is not without it's flaws, but the spirit of the piece and the pacing of the film really kept me captivated. Though the story can be a bit topsy turvy at times, that just means I get to watch it again and uncover more layers, and I love a movie that lets me do that.

Tin Man - Over the Slow Pacing

When Tin Man first came out, I was mostly excited because Zooey Deschanel gets to play Dorothy (called DG in this one) in a Wizard of OZ reimagining.

Upon watching in it's original air dates, I was blown away by the visuals but felt alienated in the slow pace of the story.

The movie is helmed by the Halmi duo, who also worked on the epic 10th Kingdom. That thing was 7 hours long, but the pacing was so on that it didn't feel that way. Tin Man is not as long as 10th Kingdom but man did each episode (3 episodes 1 1/2 hour long each) feel like a task.

If Zooey weren't a part of this mini-series, I really wouldn't have paid it no mind.

Years later, I decide to watch it on Blu Ray (because TV films on Blu Ray ROCK!!!). I sat down and watched all 4 1/2 hours of this mini-series. One sitting. I watched it with open eyes and an open mind. I came to realize it's not as bad as I thought. If anything, with time it has gotten better.

The slow pacing isn't as grating if you come to expect it.

I was mostly impressed with the steampunk look of this mini-series. Steampunk and Oz are a good marriage.

There are a lot of references to the books and the popular 1939 MGM classic.

I really like the two leads in this one. It is no secret that I am in love with our lead, Zooey. Zooey Deshchanel brings her unique acting technique to a part that really required her to stretch her limits. In this one movie she has to be vulnerable, strong, confused, scared out of her mind and heroic; all while being a normal girl from Kansas. I'm a huge Zooey fan. Check out her band She and Him. Kathleen Robertson plays our villainess. She suceeds in going for a much quieter, more sinister witch than previously portrayed before. These two are a joy to watch in their individual parts as well as their scenes together.

Rewatching this mini-series with unbiased eyes, I have found I do enjoy this piece more than I thought. I was too busy comparing it to other adaptations of Oz and other film productions of the Halmi duo that I couldn't properly just sit down and enjoy the show. While slow at times, it is a good piece of television that has the rare ability to be it's own work and still pay homage to the original. I'm going to watch Witches of Oz now :-)

House of Dark Shadows - Now That's a Vampire Drama

I am a Dark Shadows newbie. I used to pass by reruns of this soap opera in the 80s and 90s and it would always be on in the background. I didn't really pay much attention to it.

Once I read that Tim Burton decided to create a film version of it, I decided to give it a chance. Tim was a fan of Dark Shadows and he'd speak of the show in such a loving and nostalgic manner.

I'd like to think that Tim and I have similiar tastes. Boy was I right. This show is sooooo adictive. I am most attracted to the acting and the overall eerie tone of this soap opera. In interviews, Burton mentioned that the appeal of the show is hard for him to explain, but I think I could try: Being a supernatural drama, the soap opera style acting the eerie music and the gothic background really helps to establish the other worldyness of it all. It's very easy to place it outside of the realm of reality and that's what appeals to me about this show.

I saw a few episodes, 210-226 to be exact, when I decided to look up the first of two feature films that were produced during the original broadcast of Dark Shadows.

House of Dark Shadows takes the tale of the popular character,  Barnabas Collins, and creates a very compelling film around his story. I consider myself a newbie to this world, but found this feature film to appeal to both fans and non-fans. The movie doesn't require  prior knowledge of any of the plots of the TV soap to enjoy. I am most interested to see what Tim Burton does with the material.

The movie plays as a slasher piece, a whodunnit mystery and a gothic romance as it follows the vampire Barnabas' journey and the strange murders that follow.

Like the series it's very atmospheric and allows you to get engrossed in this strange world before the poo hits the fan, and boy does it HIT the fan yo!!!

The bigger budget allowed for more blood and deaths as well as bigger set pieces. I love the soap opera for its theatrical quality, but House of Shadows is truly a feature film. For the moment it's only available as an iTunes rental, but it's worth the 3.99 rental ;-)

My Week with Marilyn - Michelle Williams Enchants as Marilyn

The opening of this film looks like it was plucked right out of Rob Marshall's Chicago. Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, surrounded by dancer boys. Sadly the movie is not a musical and this opening is the biggest musical moment in the sequel aside from a magical performance in the end credits.

Doing movies based on fact are tricky. The casting of actors who are to play people who have existed brings certain questions to mind:

1) Does the actor look the part?
2) Does the actor sound like the part?
3) Can the actor act the part properly without seeming like a mockery?

The answers to these questions in regards to My Week with Marilyn are.

1) Hells ya she looks the part
2) Hells ya she sounds the part
3) Hells ya she acts the part, and it's never mocking.

The lady in question in this movie of course is Michelle Williams as she portrays Marilyn during a week a filming the movie The Prince and the Showgirl with Sir Lawrence Olivier. I still remember her as the promiscuous smart girl on Dawson Creek and her awesome performance in Brokeback Mountain. She truly has grown as an actor and I can only wonder what she will surprise us with next.

I liked My Week with Marilyn. LOVED My Week with Marilyn. It's a story about love found, love gained, love lost. You felt for these characters as they revolved around Marilyn like she was the sun to our galaxy.

One character in particular is our main character - who is not Marilyn. Eddie Redmayne plays Colin Clark, an assistant on on-set who Marilyn takes a liking to. Colin and Marilyn eventually fall into an innocent affair among all the craziness that is involved in filming a movie.  I've gotta say, I have a weakness for guys like Eddie Redmayne.

He should be my leading man ;-)

An underused Judi Dench stood out as ultra sweet actor Sybil Thorndike. Emma Watson from Harry Potter fame has a small part as a wardrobe assistant that Colin crushes on, and Kenneth Branagh impresses as Lawrence Olivier.

Our two leads though are the centerpiece of this film and they are a very sweet pair to watch.

This is a really good movie that sadly didn't get the exposure it needed in the states. Michelle Williams truly enchants and adds depth to this sex icon in Week with Marilyn.

Pride and Prejudice (1940) - Laurence Olivier is a Great Actor... and Boy is He Handsome

After watching the epic Lost in Austen, I decided to reread the original book... but did not have the time so instead I read the cliffnotes version and plan on rereading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

I also came across a film version of Pride and Prejudice I seemed to have missed: The 1940 version that stars Greer Garson as Lizzy and the awesome Laurence Olivier as Darcy.

I am surprised that this version of the film is more engaging than the other versions. (not counting Lost in Austen and Bride and Prejudice)

I love the book, but find it difficult to sit through most film versions of the material. I never felt an inviting aspect to the films. It was almost as if the movies were an in-joke to readers of the book and everyone else was left out in the cold.

This classic 1940 version film is inviting right from the very first scene. The characters are spot on and the acting is superb. Unlike the other film versions, this version does not use Austen's text as a bible, but as a starting to point to create an enjoyable dramatic film full of humor and wit. Not to say that the film butchers the text and plot structure, but this is a film and it's a pretty good film on it's own wether or not one is familiar with the source material.

And Laurence Olivier is just too adorable as the male lead, Darcy ;-) 

Watching the film, I found it more like a play than a film, and that's not an insult. I love a good play. Upon finding out that this film version was based on a play version excited me even more. The theater major in me wants to produce it now :-)

... maybe with the correct costumes this time around.

This is officially my favorite film version of Pride and Prejudice. I think it will sit comfortably next to my Blu Ray of Fritz Lang's Metropolis and my Audrey Hepburn DVDs.

P.S: Can someone help me find the colorized version of this film?

Lost in Austen - Ever Get Lost in a Good Book?

When life gets to crazy, serious and downright boring, I like to relax with a book. A lot of the times it's one of Lewis Carrol's Alice books, but other times it's Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Who wouldn't want to get Lost in Austen? I love Pride and Prejudice and find myself yearly revisiting my copy.

I love the scandals, the quirky characters and the musings of the female lead, Elizabeth Bennet. She's so smart and it's very easy to root for her.

It's a fun love story full of conflict, drama and the broodiest brooding male lead. Take that Robert Pattinson.

I need to repurchase the Zombie edition BTW.

Pride and Prejudice has been immortalized on film and television several times. There was one in 1940; a popular mini-series starring Colin Firth in the 90's; Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywoord take on the material; and Kiera Knightely played Elizabeth Bennet in one of the newest screen adaptations.

The latest incarnation of the book, Lost in Austen centers around Amanda Price, a girl from our time, who switches places with Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. Amanda unknowingly affects the familiar love story.  What happens and what is revealed about familiar characters and situations are both hilarious and surprising.

The movie (released a mini-series originally) works on a few different leves: as a love story itself, an homage to the original book, and a time traveling story. The piece is really a fresh take on an old classic and highly recommended.

An American remake is said to be in the works written by Nora Ephron.

Since Kiera Knightley played Elizabeth Bennet in an earlier movie version, I wanna see Natalie Portman play Amanda Price in the American remake. Kiera played Natalie's double in Star Wars Episode 1.

The Smurfs - Feeling Blue?

The Smurfs takes place in a male populated world... with one female played by Katy Perry.

Growing up, I was a huge fan of 80's cartoons that featured a dominant female cast. The exception was The Smurfs and I never realized why until recently while watching the 2011 Smurfs movie.

Unlike other "boy's club" shows that featured in the 80's, namely GI Joe, He-Man, Captain Power, the males in Smurfs were allowed to do things that were unthinkable in the other "boy's club" shows. Tailor Smurf made clothes, Hefty Smurf was body obsessed, Painter Smurf painted and Vanity.... oh gurl!!!!!

Vanity has got to be my favorite Smurf.

In the new movie, Vanity is reduced to a mere cameo, but a sequel is in the works so maybe he'll get to shine there. Though I doubt it since he also seems to be absent in the new Christmas special that comes with The Smurfs Blu Ray. As a plus though, Hefty Smurf (Gym Bunny Smurf LOL) seems to have more of a role in the Christmas special (The Smurfs Christmas Carol) than he did in the film. His role in the 2011 film was also reduced to a cameo. He was replaced by new guy Gutsy Smurf.

Gotta love a guy in a kilt :-)

The film itself is cute. It's totally worth a watch, but it pales in comparison to the epic adventures The Smurfs have had in their 9 season Hanna-Barbera Series and the original Peyo comics. The best part of the movie is really in the beginning when we're in the medieval world The Smurfs inhabit.

The plot centers on a time traveling gimmick. The Smurfs are transported to modern day New York and have to get back home. There they become friends with two humans, played by Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays (Emma from Glee). Lots of fish out of water jokes abound.

What makes The Smurfs movie work though is the characterization of the characters. They're very true to character. While the world has changed, The Smurfs have not.

I recommend the film for families and for fans of the original Smurfs. It's a very loving tribute to them. I dig the scene where The Smurfs see a picture of Smurfs creator Peyo.

If you get to purchase it though get the 3 disc versions. It comes with "A Smurfs Christmas Special." A hint of what the movie could've really been.

Tom and Jerry and The Wizard of Oz - You Dirty Hams, You Let that Little Girl in There

All I can say is WOW!!!! Go MGM. Taking a Lion King 1 1/2 take on the popular MGM movie The Wizard of Oz , the movie views the familiar story through the eyes of the most famous cat and mouse team.

Tom and Jerry are still very much Tom and Jerry, voiceless, at each others' throats and slapstick happy funny. Their vaudeville humor goes well with the Oz proceedings and that's mostly because the film stays true to the time period in which the original film was produced.

The movie looks gorgeous and is almost like a tribute to old classic cartoons like those made by Tex Avery and Chuck Jones. The moment the familiar overture plays and Dorothy sings "Over the Rainbow" alongside Tom and Jerry's proceedings, I knew I was in for a special treat. My eyes could not leave the screen. The look of the movie is top notch. These visuals do not disappoint. Disney
should take a tip here and start developing more 2d as opposed to 3d.

This is definitely one that I'm going to watch over and over and share with all of my Oz friends and non-Oz friends.

If you liked this article, you should read this:

The Wizard of Oz - A Parody Review - What if MGM's Wizard of Oz had been released nowadays?

Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)  - And don't forget to purchase this instant classic