What's on the Toob?

Look for a new episode to available Monday, November 19, 2012. It will be a special all Home Movies segments show. Lots of home rentals are discussed.

See you on Monday.

Boob Toob Supplemental: All-Asian Edition

What’s happening Boobers and Toobers? It’s Dan, comin’ at’cha with an all-Asian edition of Boob Toob Supplemental! Apologies to our readers (all two of you) for not having done one of these for a while but the first entry below should explain things. Let’s get to it!

Psy, HyunA & 4Minute or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love K-Pop

It started off with this awesome little music video that some of you may have seen...

After doing those kickass dance move a couple dozen times (this is a lie, I don’t dance... ever), there was some talk regarding who the girl in the video was. After extensive research i.e. a quick Google search, we found out that the girl in question is none other than South Korean idol, singer, dancer, rapper, model, designer (you had me at hello) Kim Hyun-a (also known as HyunA). She actually has her own version of Gangnam Style and a bunch of other music videos such as the newly released Ice Cream (sort of like the Korean version of Milkshake by Kelis). Check out who makes a cameo...

Don’t let that fool you though, she’s not just a pretty face with one or two sexy dance moves. Case in point...

It didn’t take long before finding out that she’s part of South Korean girl group 4Minute which is made up of some very talented ladies. Apparently they're big around Asia. The video below gives a very brief intro on 4Minute.

More than a week of being mesmerised by them and hypnotically consuming HyunA/4Minute related media and I’m now slowly starting to get back to normal life. I am watching their very funny travel show though (Travel Maker) so that might make it into the show/blog at some point.

A grown man listening to some K-Pop... who’d have thought?

Dragon (Wu Xia) trailer

Apparently it came out in China (and possibly some other Asian countries) last year but it’s just now getting a US release.

Check out the blurb below.

Liu Jin-xi (Yen) is a village craftsman whose quiet life is irrevocably shattered by the arrival of two notorious gangsters in the local general store. When Liu single-handedly saves the shopkeeper’s life, he comes under investigation by detective Xu Bai-jiu (Kaneshiro). Convinced that Liu’s martial arts mastery belies a hidden history of training by one of the region’s vicious clans, Xu doggedly pursues the shy hero—and draws the attention of China’s criminal underworld in the process.

Martial arts noir starring Donnie Yen. AW YEAH! Takeshi Kaneshiro ain’t half bad neither.

Tangent: Anyone remember Takeshi from that Onimusha game which also had Jean Reno?

I just realised that it’s October 31 so I should’ve done an all-Halloween episode. Screw it! I’m too far into this already!

The Bladed Hand trailer

Looks like a neat documentary on Filipino martial arts. It says it came out in 2010 so I’ll have to track it down. I knew Matt Damon used it for the Bourne films but I don’t really know a lot of the history.

 

The Man with the Iron Fists

Here’s another movie that I’m dying to see. It is RZA’s directorial debut and it stars him along with Byron Mann, Cung Le, David Bautista, Jamie Chung, Lucy Liu, Rick Yune, Russell Crowe and a bunch of other people who will most likely get killed at some point in the movie. Check out the blurb:

Making his debut as a big-screen director and leading man, RZA—alongside a stellar international cast led by Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu—tells the epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero in nineteenth-century China who must unite to destroy the clan traitor who would destroy them all.

Since his arrival in China’s Jungle Village, the town’s blacksmith (RZA) has been forced by radical tribal factions to create elaborate tools of destruction. When the clans’ brewing war boils over, the stranger channels an ancient energy to transform himself into a human weapon. As he fights alongside iconic heroes and against soulless villains, one man must harness this power to become savior of his adopted people.

Here’s the red band trailer (red band = unrated).

Here’s some fun time TV spots.

And check out this kickass music video for The Baddest Man Alive by The Black Keys & RZA.

I can’t wait! Until next time, keep kicking ass and taking names!

WHYBW: Fringe. Homeland MINOR Spoilers

Fringe Season 5 is well underway and I just had a few relatively spoiler free thoughts that I'd like to share here.

I was unsure of even continuing the series after last season's finale which I think we can all agree tied up the series in a satisfactory way. I made a public declaration that adding a new element to the overall story arc this late in the game can be ruinous for the series and have negative feedback from fans, much like Lost's final season did. I still feel the same way and while I am not loving the current season the writers are incorporating enough of the old elements to keep me going. Maybe the reason that I have cooled on the series as the show progressed is that the show switched it's focus quite a bit. Specifically, when we started the series the show was undeniably about Olivia Dunham and that over time switched to Peter Bishop. Still enjoyable, but I suppose my red blooded male-ness prefers the focus to be on Olivia whether she resides in the blue, red or amalgamated universe; past, present or future. Last season introduced a new character Henrietta (Etta) Bishop in a new...setting, and we get a slight focal shift onto her and her story. How much focus will be given to Etta remains to be seen.

  

The problem with a show like Fringe is that you can't go home again. It has to change because it cannot capture our imaginations as it did in the first season. The great thing about the show Fringe is that it is brave enough not to even try to go back. It moves forward showing us the "Endless Impossibilities" even when we want to dwell in a certain spot or universe as it were.

 

Homeland Season 2 (spoiler free) has continued the excellence and unpredictability of the first season and it too is going in new untested waters.

It is the show that I'm most enjoying, but I don't really want to speak about the plot but actually about one of the supporting cast. Morgan Saylor plays Dana Brodie, Nicholas Brodie's teenage daughter. Without doing any research I was thinking to myself that this is probably the most true to life depiction of a teenager in media that I have witnessed. She isn't a miniature adult.  Dana may have strong opinions and emotional outbursts but they are restricted somewhat, mainly in the actress's voice. It isn't the bold thirty-something actor playing a teenager in a roll, it is delicate and uncertain. Family aside I do not have any regular interaction with teenagers, but when I do they have a lot in common with the character Dana and her mannerisms and body language. Doing some light research I found that actress Morgan Saylor is if fact 17 years old. How much of her character is acting and how much is real doesn't matter to me, I'm just pleased with an accurate portrayal of a young person.

 

If this bit of minutia surprises you, I am not surprised. I'm rather shocked because I had thought that the children were the weak spots in the casting of the first season. Was I wrong, or just oblivious to the talent on screen?

E2P The Boob Toob 7 - Fall Premiers

An All “What Have You Been Watching? ” Episode!  Elementary, The Mob Doctor, 666 Park Avenue, The New Normal, Last Resort.

Introductions                     (0:00)

What Have You Been Watching?

Elementary                         (6:42)

The Mob Doctor (with Elementary tangent)        (27:30)

666 Park Avenue              (40:50)

The New Normal              (59:11)

Last Resort          (1:12:27)

Wrap Up              (1:29:16)

Credits/Outtakes             (1:35:35)

1:38:48

Intro Music is an arrangement by Bobgar incorporating Dan Le Sac’s “Standon Mix”

Outro Music by Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory “Science is Fun”

All other television sounds and excerpts TM & © their respective publishers.

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WHYBW: Elementary (Season 1 Episode 1)

I discussed Elementary briefly on the upcoming episode of The Boob Toob (#7) but I didn’t want to use up too much air time so I thought I’d go a bit more in depth here on the blog where I can type away guilt free!

I also wrote about my first impressions on this show over a week ago so please check that out for a little introduction on the series.

But if you already know what this show is about then read on! Although if you're already sick of it then you might want to turn back and possibly read about what Bobgar thought about The Avengers movie (he finally saw it!) or possibly the latest installment of Boob Toob Supplemental (now with more Bruce Willis).

Warning: I mostly compare Elementary to the BBC Series Sherlock and a couple of other recent Sherlock Holmes interpretations.

Oh, and it’s Dan by the way. Although you've probably worked it out already since Bobgar wouldn’t be watching this show ;)

Elementary Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot

The episode starts out with a murder. They don’t show much though. Someone drops a drinking glass and it shatters, a woman being chased inside her home, her trying to reach for something, and that’s it. We then see Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) getting woken up by an alarm, going for a jog and then she meets Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) at his home soon after.

My first thought after seeing Sherlock interact with people was that the British accent surrounded by American accents felt a little weird. But this is Sherlock Holmes in New York so that is to be expected. It was still a little weird by the end of the episode but I think I’m getting used to it.

It isn’t long until we see Sherlock in action, using his smarts to figure things out. It seems to me that this Sherlock is definitely smart enough but not savant levels like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock (from the BBC series). It might seem that way because they take their time a little more when figuring stuff out about the crime scene. It feels more like we’re along for the ride. Compare that to BBC series where Sherlock would have figured out the whole thing instantly in his brain and then he’d explain it to everyone in reverse while insulting them (which I don’t hate, that’s also fun too). But maybe Elementary wants to focus more on the human side of things as opposed to Sherlock’s incredible intellect. I’m cool with it although it’s only been one episode. I might not feel the same way after a 24 episode season. I feel like Cumberbatch Sherlock could’ve solved this particular case in 8 seconds.

A lot of the people that I know have seen the recent BBC Sherlock series so if you’re one of those people, you’ll notice fairly quickly that this Sherlock isn’t a condescending prick like Cumberbatch Sherlock (or even Hugh Laurie’s Gregory House character in House M.D.). Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock is even pretty polite. And he feels things! Like when they found the dead body after he mad some clever deductions, he says “sometimes I hate it when I’m right” and he looked like he meant it. More on this feelings thing a little later.

I thought it was interesting when Watson asked Sherlock how he figured out about her dad’s affair, he said “Google” followed by “not everything is deducible” which is a sign that he’s a bit humble (or at least, more so than a lot of the recent Sherlocks, even taking into account Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal in the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies). Also, Sherlock screws up during the investigation and when Watson confronted him about it, he said it was all part of his plan. But he confessed to it later on and said that he hid his screw up from her out of shame. I don’t think any of the recent Sherlocks would ever do that. He also lets Watson know in various ways that he finds her useful and that he’s glad that she’s around. This guy is too nice!

Promotional posters for some of the recent Sherlocks. I tried to get a House poster with Dr. Wilson but there wasn't any where it was just the two of them. It was either Hugh Laurie on his own or the whole cast. Somewhat fitting since he's the jerkiest out of all the Sherlocks.

That said, he does become a little insensitive when he's determined to get an answer so he’s not perfect with his politeness. I mention in my first impressions that this Sherlock didn’t seem dangerous like Cumberbatch Sherlock but I think we got to see some of it here. It’s still not Cumberbatch levels but I think he’s got it in him. Maybe Sherlock from the BBC Series is just always at max whereas this Sherlock starts off a bit more normal but can go crazy depending on the situation. There’s at least one scene where he did something silly and dangerous because he was angry.

Oh by the way, this Sherlock did something worse than anything Cumberbatch Sherlock has ever done... HE MADE A CALL ON HIS PHONE AT THE THEATRE! And didn't even try to speak silently! Jerk! >:(

But back to nice guy Sherly...

One of the main features I’ve noticed about the Holmes & Watson relationship (at least on tv, not sure about the books) is that Holmes can be a bit of a jerk to Watson even though Watson is the closest thing he has to a friend. He’s insulting and he can be hurtful although Watson is usually strong enough to take it. And Watson knows that that’s just how Holmes is and that he doesn’t mean to hurt people.

In Elementary, Holmes is more weird, slightly annoying and possibly even somewhat childlike rather than condescending, demeaning and hurtful. The on screen chemistry between Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu is pretty enjoyable. They’re not chummy chummy or anything but they’re nice to watch. I didn’t end up feeling sorry for this Watson like I did in BBC Sherlock, House M.D. and the Sherlock Holmes movies.

All the recent Watsons care about their respective Sherlocks and the trend is repeated with Dr. Joan Watson (I'm calling her Lady Watson from now on) so that’s good to see. There’s also a bit of drama in it, a nice amount of humanity, when we find out the reason why Watson chose to become a sober companion. Not sure if it’ll be like that in future episodes but I was glad to see it here.

When they reached the solution to the mystery, it wasn’t some grand revelation. It seemed more of a down to Earth solving of a crime. Closer to a real life crime as opposed to mastermind genius Moriarty level crime. Not necessarily better or worse than BBC Sherlock but I was cool with it.

Oh yeah, Watson ended up getting involved in the investigation little by little even though it didn’t seem like she intended to at first. She even had some crucial contributions to the case.

Hey Lady Watson... how YOU doin'?

A few other random things:

• They do a good job of giving out bits of information and back story abut the characters without shoving it in your face too much.
• Sherlock figures stuff out about people, like “you just ate a bagel” or “you’re having an affair” but they don’t go into too much detail explaining how he figures things out.
• It’s shot well enough, everything looks nice. Not BBC Sherlock level though, that was something else in terms of the visuals. And I really miss the text and graphics on screen.
• The musical score isn’t as memorable as BBC Sherlock but it’s good enough. Not too attention grabbing and overpowering but it fits the tone of the show.
• The end song for the episode is Watching the Detectives by Elvis Costello. Nice touch.
• Sherlock doesn't have a Lestrade but Aidan Quinn as Captain Tobias Gregson fills that role. I wonder if there’s a Lestrade back in Scotland Yard in this universe. If so, I wonder if he misses Sherly.

What I find memorable about tone of the BBC Sherlock series is that not only is the character of Sherlock smarter than everyone else, it’s that the show almost feels like it’s demonstrating to all the other shows that it’s smarter than them (although not in a dickish condescending way like Benedict Cumberbatch masterfully does in the show). I missed that attitude while watching Elementary. The tone of Elementary is a little more ‘safe’ and a bit more 'American' (which is understandable when you take into account the target audience) but not generic American show. There are some similarities to American procedurals but I think at least at this point, it has a unique enough voice.

Keep in mind that I’m not hating on it or anything, just contrasting. It’d be like having two friends, one is loud and proud and knows that he’s awesome (and that’s fine because he is awesome) whereas the other is somewhat quiet but he’s still a cool dude. Both can work.

Jonny Lee Miller’s Sherlock doesn’t seem too Sherlocky (haha, I made up a word) based on this first episode. Benedict Cumberbatch and Robery Downey Jr. were very Sherlocky. Heck, even Hugh Laurie as Gregory House was more Sherlocky. (Also, Robert Sean Leonard as Dr. Wilson was more Watsony than Lucy Liu.) So I can understand criticisms that people may have about how this new guy doesn’t seem like Sherlock. At times as I was watching it, I forgot that I was watching Sherlock and I thought it was just some weirdo. But that’s cool, he can just be a different guy with the same name. Just a What If story.

Overall, I’m not really super comfortable in recommending this to people (especially to BBC Sherlock fans). Nevertheless, I found myself liking it quite a bit and I’m on board for future episodes.

Wow, that ended up being crazy long. I've written 'Sherlock' so many times, I think I'm losing it. After writing all that and going over all the comparisons, I now have a strong urge to rewatch BBC Sherlock.

Don't worry, you're still by number one. (Artwork by alicexz on deviantART)

Boob Toob Supplemental: 2012-10-08

It's Dan once again, comin' at'cha with some Boob Toob Supplemental!

ECCC 2012 - Star Wars Trilogy: The Radio Play

I actually saw this a while ago but I forgot to put it on the last Boob Toob Supplemental.

Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche, Tara Strong, Jess Harnell, Billy West, John DiMaggio & Kevin Conroy deliver a masterclass on voice acting, reciting some key lines from Star Wars but as the various characters that they’re famous for.

Warning: 1 hr 20 mins long but oh so good :)

009 Re: Cyborg trailer

Trailer for the latest film adaptation of Shotaro Ishinomori’s Cyborg 009 manga series. So much crazy awesome action packed in 30 seconds. I wish I could be in Japan later this month to see this.

Stoker trailer

Trailer Park Chan-Wook’s new film (and first Hollywood feature). You may remember him from such films as Oldboy, Joint Security Area and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. I’ve mostly enjoyed his movies and I’m loving what the South Korean film peeps are dishing out so I’ll be checking this out.

It’s written by Wentworth Miller (the main dude from prison Break) and according to Cinematical, it was voted to the 2012 “Black List” of the 10 best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood (thanks Wikipedia).

A Good Day to Die Hard teaser

Die Hard in Russia! I hope it’s better than the last one. But it’s like Futurama, I’ll keep watching Die Hard movies even when they're bad.

The DI (digital intermediate) Difference of Haywire

http://michaelcioni.tumblr.com/post/16083208751/the-di-difference-of-haywire

Not a video but a very cool (at least, for me) and informative article on how Haywire was shot and post processed.

Until next time, keep boobing and toobing! (Whatever that means...)

Home Movies: The Avengers

by Bobgar Ornelas

In about five or ten minutes I will throw in the disc and watch (Marvel’s) The Avengers.  So why am I typing this out and why in all that is holy haven’t I’ve seen it already? Well, I want to write a brief little post expressing my thoughts on the movie prior to watching it. As for why haven’t I already watched it, well I just never got around to watching it in the theatres and it finally arrived via that mail order movie service, you know the one.

I hate hype. 

Let’s face it, there’s a ton of hype going into this movie and since its release. People went multiple times to the theatre to view it, bought the multi pack disk releases and hell even shawarma saw a spike in popularity due to the film. Oh, how do I know about the shawarma having not seen the movie? Well, due to everyone’s feverish love of the movie things were spoiled left and right. I don’t blame them, it’s what we do when we genuinely love something. 

Lastly, the majority of the time big budget, plus all star cast equals disappointment for me. Yeah, I have an unpredictable threshold for certain kinds of movies. Going in, honestly I don’t really have high hopes. I’m one of the few people that thought that Iron Man was just okay. Marvel movies haven’t really blown me away save for Incredible Hulk. I hear he’s the “breakout star” of the movie so maybe there is hope after all.

Chuck D and Flava Flav  taught me to not believe the hype. I think that the Avengers Mania has subsided enough by now that I can watch this movie somewhat objectively. (yeah, right) Well, enough of all this I have a date with the couch and movie. I’ll be back and I will report whether the hype is to be believed. Did the movie deliver on its own merits. And did the fan’s fervor set too high of expectations for the movie in my mind? 

Let’s find out, shall we?

Let us see…it was good. Not the movie watching experience that I was guaranteed me but it was really good.  Mostly everything has already been said about the movie, I think that my favorite aspect was the fact that all of the Avengers got their ass handed to them in pretty much all their battles. It gave the movie an illusion of permanent danger for the characters.  Was it over hyped? Yes, of course, but I can see why it was such a hit for so many people. I thing the general moviegoer doesn’t know the tired convention of having two heroes fight then team up. I can see how that can stir up the inner child in all of us, unless we have seen it all our lives in the comic books.

That’s the good, here’s the bad. It’s way the heck too long of a movie. My personal preference is a 90 minute movie but when you’re rounding two and a half hours I have a hard time keeping my interest. The middle of the movie dragged for me. Lots of talking, I think that Whedon was channeling Bendis Avengers. That’s a minor gripe because it led to one something that I really enjoyed and that’s the friendship developed between Banner and Stark. Speaking of Banner, I did not like this version of Banner at all I really wish that Edward Norton had reprised his role. The Hulk scenes were great, but too few. All in all I do have complaints, but to be honest they are minor and represent my peculiar quirks. 

Well, there you go. I liked it, but did not love it. 

PS -Captain America's costume was atrocious.