NBCs not so impressive fall

Alright, NBCs turn. Their fall line-up is definitely not what I would call strong, but there are a few standouts. So, without further delay....

First up is one that is near and dear to me on a few levels. Grimm comes from David Greenwalt, who worked on Buffy before he helped to create Angel. That is a pretty damn good pedigree so I am willing to give this show some room to breathe. The trailer shows promise but it also shows a little bit of cheesiness. The show follows a descendent of the same Grimms that were responsible for all those stories that kept you up late as a kid. The catch is, all those stories are real and the only ones who can see the monsters for what they really are are the Grimms. This one is definitely not for everyone.

Next up is NBC's version of jumping on the Mad Men bandwagon. The Playboy Club is exactly what it sounds like. It is the story of the playboy club in Chicago and the lives of the girls who work there and the men that frequent the club. It has all the swagger needed to pull it off. But there just seems something holding me back from getting excited. I just can't put my finger on it.

Carrying on with NBC's theme of any thing you can do, we can do “better”, is Smash. Despite the blatant “we wish we would have thought of Glee first” vibe this radiates, I am high on it. The cast is full of A-list talent and the Broadway setting is much more mature than high school. And between Debra Messing, Angelica Houston and Katherine McPhee, I am getting a little excited about this one.

Now on to something funny. Up All Night should be amazing based solely on cast. With Will Arnett and Christina Applegate in the lead roles this should be a hit, and the trailer supports it every step of the way. The two seem to have instant chemistry and this show could turn out to be the big winner among some very mediocre sitcom offering from NBC this year.

This next one is a must watch for me purely based on the fact it is as original idea as I have ever seen on TV. It's kinda tough to explain this one, but it has me more excited than just about any other show coming this fall.

And finally another COLOSAL miss in the sitcom department. Don't get me wrong, I love Laura Prepon and Chelsey Handler is a funny woman at times but this series feel about ten years behind the times. Depending on a laugh track to tell the audience went out a while ago and while some shows are still truly funny and have a laugh track, this is definitely not one of them.

"Wake" up time

So, I realize that a large part of the people reading this missed Alan Wake completely. Who can blame you? It was released the same day as Red Dead Redemption, which went on to win numerous game of the year awards. It was pure misfortune for Remedy and Microsoft that Red Dead was moved to that day, overshadowing what in my opinion is one of the greatest “action-thrillers” ever in the interactive entertainment medium.

 

I'm here to let you know if you haven't played it, it's time. As long as you own an Xbox 360 at least. Wake was one of the first games ever shown as an Xbox 360 exclusive and then seemed to fall further and further to the wayside as it's development went longer and longer. Yet the game that was realeased, although no longer as graphically impressive as it once seemed, was well worth the wait. Remedy crafted a great story wrapped around what was truly fun and somewhat original game play.

Here's the tough part. I really can't say much about the games story since what makes it so great is the discovery of that story. The outline is this. You are Alan Wake, go figure right, who is a writer with a little bit of a writers block problem. You head to a small town in the pacific northwest to find some peace and hopefully find your writing voice again. Upon arrival strange thing start happening that lead to the disappearance of your wife. The rest of the story unravels from there. I am going to leave it at that as the story unwinding is what truly makes Alan Wake exceptional.

The minute to minute game play is tons of fun and does a good job adding tension to the overall game. Light is the name of the game here, therefor your greatest weapon is your flashlight. Although the light alone won't destroy the baddies it is needed to weaken them to the point your weapon will. That is the game play in a nutshell. I know it sounds simple enough, but Remedy paced the game so well and packed in enough different situations to keep it fairly fresh throughout. Add in one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a game and you have something special.

Overall, this is a game you should play. In fact after writing this, it's a game I am going to play again. The reason I am bringing it up now is that rumors are circling of a new Alan Wake game. Remedy supposedly said it is not Alan Wake 2 and it is supposed to be downloadable. I for one can't wait to get back to the world. I'm sure we will hear more at E3 in a few weeks. So before we do, take this opportunity to get caught up on the story so far. It's worth it.

As always if anyone has any ideas of something you would like me to cover here I am open to suggestions. If you likes what you read please share it with others through all those cool social media do-dads at the bottom. Leave a comment or email me at Jlove89@msn.com, or follow me on twitter @Jlove89. Thanks!

Sherlock is this weeks "movie"

So this weeks “movie” is actually a TV show. The reason I'm putting it up as a “movie” is that each episode is about an hour and a half long and there are three episodes, you do the math. Sherlock is a show produced by the BBC that takes the worlds foremost detective and his Dr. Watson and gives them a modern spin. Created by Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss the show manages to bring a dark and realistic tone to what has often been portrayed as a kids story. Moffat, who is best known for his work on the newest iteration of Doctor Who, has managed to make the old knew again through the creation and writing of two very deep and interesting main characters.

Our Dr. Watson is played by none other than the man that would be Bilbo, Martin Freeman. In fact Freeman just took a break from the set of The Hobbit in order to shoot another three episode run of Sherlock. Watson, a disabled veteran of a recent war, is struggling through life like anyone else would be in that situation, until he meets Holmes, who brings some excitement back to his life. Freeman plays the part to a tee, and will without a doubt be emerging as a world-wide superstar when The Hobbit releases.

 

On to the main attraction. And this one is worth the price of admission. Benedict Cumberbatch, go ahead read it again, is absolutely mesmerizing as Holmes. Out of nowhere he has become someone to watch based solely on this series. He will most likely be familiar in some way to some of you seeing as he has been in quite a bit. But you have never seen him like this. This role seems tailor made for him. He manages to capture the sympathy and disdain of the audience that the character requires, all while managing to make it seem like a day at the amusement park. It is worth it to watch Sherlock just for his performance.

 

So if you haven't picked it up yet, I'm a fan. The writing is smart and clever, the acting is spot on, and the characters are literally classics. I don't think you can go wrong with this one. You can find Sherlock on Netflix streaming, and you should. Enjoy.

As always if anyone has any suggestions of something you would like me to cover here I am open to suggestions. If you likes what you read please share it with others through all those cool social media do-dads at the bottom. Leave a comment or email me at Jlove89@msn.com, or follow me on twitter @Jlove89. Thanks!

The A's and B's of ABCs' New Fall Lineup

Last week I talked about FOXs ham-handed way of choosing shows for cancellation. This week it's on to brighter days. I will, over the next few weeks, be going through the newly announced shows for the fall, a few at a time.

First up is ABCs fall lineup, and what a lineup it is. With everything from southern belles to the toolman to angels and fairy tales. This is the most inconsistent line up I have seen.

Lets start with the best, from what I can tell. I love a good drama and I have high hopes for Pan-Am. Although we don't know much of what is below the surface yet, this series looks to be a possible spy or smuggling drama wrapped in the glitz and glamor of the 1960's airline business. The time when people dressed to fly and the Pan-Am stewardesses, which is who this show revolves closely around, were the queens of the sky. I only hope that this show from the writer of The West Wing and executive producer of ER holds up to it's pedigree.

Next up, a little comedy talk. Apartment 23 looks to be a ton of fun. I am excited about this one. It will be airing midseason along side Cougertown on Tuesday nights. If this slightly over the top show lives up to the quirkiness in the trailer this could be a match made in heaven. I think it's best if you just watch the trailer.

As much as I wanted to throw Suburgatory in the “bad” pile the casting is what makes this a watch and see for me. It looks like it might be a little to high school drama for me but looks to also be pretty funny at it's roots. I'm on the fence with this one...

Another on the fence is Good Christian Belles. There is only one reason this show is not in the never watch pile...Kristen Chenoweth. She is the definition of a scene stealer, I just have to root for her. Her performances in Pushing Daisies earned her an Emmy despite the shows cancellation and she has stolen every episode of Glee she has appeared on. Yet she again seems to be playing a supporting role. Can she a carry a show from there? I guess we will see come fall.

On next to The River from executive producer Steven Spielberg. This looks like it might be thriller done right for TV. Revolving around a family searching for their lost father on the Amazon river. If I had seen the trailer without knowing, I would have said this was JJ Abrams which bodes well for the series. Give the trailer a watch and let me know what you think.

The last show I want to mention that has caught my eye is Missing. It appears to a Taken vibe. ABC has not shown a full trailer since the pilot hasn't wrapped but I am still intrigued.

That covers most of the good from what I've seen come out of ABC. The bad I will cover tomorrow.

But, I think I may leave you with my thoughts on the saddest and most pitiful thing I've seen in a while. Tim Allens return to TV is nothing short of painful. Take Home Improvement, remove the boys and add girls, sprinkle in some one liners that are a little old at this point and you get, Last Man Standing. Sorry Tim, your time has passed.

PR and the PSN

Well, the big news in gaming over the weekend was by far the return of the PlayStation Network on Saturday. Sony has been working very hard from what we have heard to get the service back on it's feet, and all the work has finally paid off. The service has not returned in it's entirety but most of the functionality that gamers care about is there. The one major missing piece is the the store but it sounds like that will be up by months end.

I think Sony has hit the mark that they desperately needed to hit in getting service up and running so that this is not a topic at E3 this year. The timing of the announcement could not have come at a more convenient time, three weeks before the beginning of E3 with what looks like a pretty bust pre-E3 week ahead for both game news and game journalists. The triumphant return of the PSN will quickly be swept under the rug as the preview of the big games that will be shown at E3 start coming in. The perfect setup for Sony to launch the service get publicity for it but quickly be able to go back to business as usual.

When the outage at everything associated with the breach first hit Sony I thought it could not have come at a worse time, with E3 right around the corner. It turns out, with all the other hype surrounding it, E3 will be the best thing Sony could ask for. By the time we get done with the piles of stories leading up to E3 Sony isn't even going to have to mention the outage in it's E3 press conference. They can literally pretend like nothing happened. Kaz Hirai, the face of PlayStation, has already said what needed to be said in a video that was released along side the revival of the network. Now when the the biggest press conference of the year comes along in three weeks he can concentrate on what Sony has going for it, the best and most expansive list of exclusive games of any platform this year.

Although Sony may have made some mistakes in allowing the attacks on their network and in the ways information was released to the public shortly after, they have hit every note perfectly in the PR game after. Congratulations to Sony on a game well played and what looks to be the biggest year to date for the PlayStation and it's Software. Well Played Sirs!

Friday Movie: Brick

Alright. Friday is, in fact, movie day. Each Friday I will be aiming to do one of two things, either point out a movie that is in theaters currently that I feel is worth your dollars or point out a movie you may have missed but is definitely worth your time. For the most part I will try to make sure that anything I recommend is fairly accessible either in theaters or through Netflix.

First up is Brick. This mystery crime thriller from writer/director Rian Johnson should not be missed. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt of 3^rd Rock from the Sun fame as a teenage loner trying to solve the murder of a secret crush.

Although the premise may sound a bit to teen, the tone that Johnson brings to the film is without a doubt what will hook most people. Johnson deserves nothing but praise for his vision of this film and his ability to bring it fruition. Brick manages to take what might sound like a weak premise for a high school drama and transports it somewhere,and sometime, entirely different. Through cinematography and dialog at first glance appears to be a modern film becomes, as far as I am concerned, film noir at its best.

Gordon-Levitt is amazing as the loner with nothing to lose hell bent on discovering the truth. He manages to take what may ,with other actors, come across as cheesy dialogue and make it his own. With the right amount self loathing and darkness to sell it as part of this 1950's detective story. That being said Nora Zehetner also brings everything needed to her role as the mysterious woman with a link to the truth.

If you missed this movie, or it's been a while since you've seen it go ahead and give it a shot. I watched it again so I would have a better idea what to write here and it was just as great as I remember it. I can't imagine you being disappointed. You can find Brick on Netflix instant streaming service. Please let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations for future movies to be highlighted here.

FOX being FOX

Through the night last night FOX brought the ax down on five currently running series. Human Target, Breaking In, Traffic Lights, Lie to Me, and The Chicago Code were all canceled. Again FOX has canceled some great scripted TV to make room for more of the same.

Obviously some of the public favorite were renewed by FOX. Bones, House, Fringe and Raising Hope are among them. What gets me is the networks inconsistency in making these decisions. Shows like Human Target and Lie to Me were given time to catch on while shows like The Chicago Code and most famously Firefly are sent to pasture before a season has even run it's course. Even more curiously a show like Fringe hangs on despite inconsistent numbers.

At first I thought it might be name recognition, since Fringe is produced my JJ Abrams (the current crown prince of the geeks) and FOX has decided to pick up yet another Abrams show in Alcatraz. But The Chicago Code was executive produced by Shawn Ryan. For those of you who may not know, he was responsible for The Unit and The Shield. Both were long running shows, one for a FOX network,

going three and four seasons respectively. Fox then gave him the green light on three shows Lie to Me, The Chicago Code and Terriers. Obviously FOX had confidence in him at that time. In the what have you done for us lately style of FOX however the luster of The Shield wore off and all three were canceled this year. That seems odd. But really it's just FOX being FOX.

If you haven't been watching The Chicago Code or Lie to Me please do yourself a favor and watch them. You can fin them on Hulu. That’s where I will be watching. I don't think I can even bring myself to turn the TV to FOX anymore.

Calling out Call of Duty

So judging from my Xbox Live friends list this weekend the Call of Duty franchise has all of us gamers right where they want us. The new Escalation map pack was released on Tuesday and I, along with a good portion of my friends list, downloaded it.

Now I know the $15 price tag seems like a lot of money, and it is. But I somehow couldn't resist. I had managed to resist all of it up until someone said the three words I am most vulnerable to, double experience weekend. That was it, I was done. I went home Friday night and downloaded the the new map pack. I know, I'm week. And I know I could just play the maps I already had. But they were NEW and different. Not to mention there was a playlist just for people who had them. I wanted to be one of those people. So I downloaded it and was very excited to jump back into the multi-player experience I had enjoyed so much.

And then reality sunk in as got my ass kicked, over and over. All that made me want to do was play more. I wanted to feel what I had before and every kill gave me just a little more of what I was looking for. This game, I realized shortly after spending the better part of the evening working my way back to the high I had when I played months ago, is an addiction. I want my fix. I want the little numbers to pop up and tell me I not only got a kill, but a head shot, and ended a that persons kill streak, all while earning my own attack chopper. It's a drug, and Activision knows it. Looks at how far the maps packs are spaced out and how they use the double experience weekends to draw you back in. Halo took strides in the persistent online shooter that no one else had thought of through their leveling mechanic and matchmaking system. Infinity Ward took what they learned watching Bungie and made it better. Through the perk and unlock systems they created not only a new community, but a new addiction.

Slowly but surely, Activision, with the help of Infinity Ward and Treyarch have built the first shooter franchise capable of supporting itself as a service instead of a yearly franchise. Now is the opportune time for Bobby Kotick to jump on the MMO band wagon. The announcement of the announcement of Modern Warfare 3 being teased and Activision saying the next Call of Duty will have an accompanying “online universe” make it seem like Activsion agrees with me. From what we've heard so far Activision is is not only dumping tons of funding into MW3 but is putting any studio that isn't already working on a AAA game on it as well.

I'm calling it now, Activision announces Call of Duty: Modern War for all consoles and PC at E3 2011. It will be the first real MMOFPS. It will have an online universe complete with factions and nations. You will be able to customize your character classes online and track your matches and progress through a Bungie.net type system. New content such as maps and skins will be released monthly and will be included in your monthly subscription. Title expansions will be released quarterly or bi-annually that will allow you take the war to new locals and upgrade you to the newest weaponry.

Or maybe I'm having a fever dream. But wouldn't it be cool if I wasn't?

Like I said in the beginning. They have us where they want us. Now let's see if they have the guts to pull the trigger.