Reviews and Reviewers - The 43 Minute edition

*Commencing Transmission*

Hello all,

Welcome to another fine tuned webisode of my verbal onslaught. I would call it Verbalis Mentalis but who knos what the hell that means and who knows when someone is actually going to use that term to start diagnosing people with some life threatening shit? Fun thing about Latin and Medicine, well the Health Industry I guess...if you know a little of both, then you can probably have fun driving up combinations that have people fearing for their lives. Besides, the world capitalizes on fear now, doesn't it? Be it a Capitalist mindset or a Socialist one, fear drives people and causes establishments to thrive. Don't worry, I'm not going to start an aandolan (strike/resistance/movement) against fear, I'm not quite sure if that is possible. None the less, fear is not the main topic of this particular post...clearly can you see fear anywhere in the subject line? Yeah didn't think so.

So what I have for you today is the simple yet dismissive art of reviewing, and on that menu for reviews, there's a few TV shows and movies lined up to get evaluated. Well the movies might find themselves headed for another post, so you can heave a sigh of relief. No don't worry I make no profits outta doing this, and if I did do you actually think I'd let you know? Well....that depends on the profit margin and also on the presents I get myself :D.

So as you all know, fall TV is the time we have new series being launched, old series being renewed and we all wait with bated breath to see what happens next after that 'cliff hanger' moment we had on the season finale of the show back in April/May. Well hello, we've had a busy week, well it's been a busy one for me 'cuz a lot of my fav. shows came back...and some of 'em came back with a BANG! And the others...well they left a bit to the imagination, a bit to the 'hmmmm' part of your curiosity 'cuz you kinda sense a major plot storm brewing or you just get all hyped up, and there's a few patches of disappointment where you feel that a particular situation could've been handled better. But overall it wasn't such a bad week in tele land.

Let's see first up is the season premiere of the most anticipated show (for me), namely 'Castle'. That season finale was one helluva season finale earlier this year. To match pace and tempo with that season finale definitely would have been challenging, because you want to find new ways and means of keeping the audience guessing and reeled in and wondering what happens next. The lighting, cinematography and effects just set the mood and pace for the entire episode, it was terrific. It will definitely be interesting to see how twisted and wound up this season is going to get...the character graphs tend to get a lil' jumpy and hit spots you didn't see coming. Then of course there's the whole Caskett (Castle and Beckett for the newly inducted Castle members) thing that I think a lotta fans are talking about, but in all honesty, I don't really care 'bout the relationship just yet as I do the plot and the writing. The one thing 'bout the writing on Castle that I've truly enjoyed is how snappy, sharp and of course witty, the dialogue tends to get between characters and the character dynamics are also just bloody brilliant. The other cool thing about Castle is how the show is actually expanding on the whole main character and actually gets the books that Castle supposedly writes published in real time. Heck Marvel is even doing a graphic novel for Derrick Storm, one of Castle's major 'cash cows' in terms of character, and a very popular and loved character in the whole murder, mystery, spy thriller genre of things. I'm definitely curious to know just how this season goes.

Next in line we have one of the other shows that I've been absolutely looking forward to since it's finale and since all this casting news that's happened between the end of Season 6 and the Season 7 premiere. That's right people, the brilliance called 'Criminal Minds' was back in full force and action on Wednesday and HOLY SHIT was it AMAZING!!!! It's so bloody brilliant to see everyone back, Season 6 definitely had it's moment, the best story arc being the one involving Prentiss and that whole Lauren arc with Ian Doyle. It was such a well shot and well executed story arc for one of my fav characters on the show, Agent Emily Prentiss! A few of my other fav episodes being JJ and Coda. The action packed, adrenaline pumping season premiere was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! And I think this is going to be one amazing season of CM! Season 6 saw quite a bit of a falter, and I thought it had quite a few shaky moments, especially towards the end, but hey the rest of the team held it together even with the addition of Rachel Nichols, who yeah the fans absolutely despised 'cuz they figured she was a replacement for our beloved JJ. I must add thought that it is very unfortunate as to how popular a person is due to their character on screen, and we all tend to have that lapse where we forget to differentiate between the character and the actual actor. None the less, thank you Rachel for all your efforts on CM while you were there, however, it would be pretty freaking cool to see you return for a few episodes or a story arc. But other than, oh man did the fans of the show have SO MUCH to rejoice and celebrate 'bout on the season premiere and yeah as an aside, Hotch looked pretty freaking cool with that scruff going on haha. Here's to an amazing season up ahead!

Then we have 'The Mentalist' to follow up on Thursday. Well, the Season finale of 'The Mentalist' was pretty freaking awesome...it was quick, action packed and pretty much outta nowhere. Well I thought the Season premiere was pretty standard. Pretty much Jane and his charm, tricks and his personal story and his personal vendetta to find 'Red John'...sometimes the story line irritates me 'cuz it goes winding around and around and around without touching on anything substantial. I'm not sure if it's something I'd tune into every week, or just wait till the season is done before I do a marathon. Well that's what I did last season, it's not on the top of my must watch list, but hey keeps the mind amused if I'm bored outta my mind with my hectic schedule haha. I guess we'll see how the season goes. However, the one cool thing 'bout the show has to be the episode names, I love how they incorporate 'Red' into pretty much every single episode title, absolutely brilliant work at that.

I decided I'd give 2 new shows that premiered this past week a shot to see how gripping/interesting they would be. The promos looked fairly interesting over the summer. First one up is, 'Unforgettable' with one of the actresses from one of my fav shows, 'Without a Trace', as the main lead. It was refreshing to see Poppy Montgomerey grace the screen yet again, however, I dunno man I thought the premiere of 'Unforgettable' was pretty forgettable...however, that being said I'm not giving up on the show just yet. It's like a mix of 'The Listener' and 'Without a Trace' in terms of the way the show's been edited and put together. Maybe in time it'll turn out to be cooler and I might actually eat my words from this post. Remind me 'bout this post if you happen to find me screaming 'OMG OMG Did you watch that episode!!!??? It was freaking AMAZEBALLS!!!'...well you won't hear me screaming but I guess you can anticipate it with the enunciation in the key strokes and all.

The second new show to premiere this past week was 'Prime Suspect'. Yes it's a cop drama, yes I enjoy cop dramas, they're pretty freaking cool. It was a pretty cool season premiere, to a certain extent it reminded me of 'The Closer' only unlike Kyra Sedgwick's character (Brenda Johnson), the main character on the show definitely doesn't seem like the kinda person who would put someone down/retort and retaliate verbally with the kind of finesse and dare I say Southern hospitality Brenda Johnson does it with. I'm definitely looking forward to the next episode, oh and I definitely dig the main character's, portrayed by Maria Bello, fashion choices haha. So far, I enjoy Maria Bello's portrayal of Jane Timoney. The opening scene had to be one of the best scenes to this pilot episode, the main character trying to kick the cancer stick habit and trying to get a better handle on her health. The way the entire episode went about I think there's a lot more character development that the viewers can look forward to. Right from the get go the creators have made it a point to showcase the layers to Jane Timoney, from the tough and thick skinned cop who is the only source of estrogen in a testosterone filled Homicide Detective division, to the dedicated and efficient cop who puts people in their place and takes no BS in terms of following protocol and getting the work done, to being the street smart NYC chica who doesn't give up getting leads to a case, to the vulnerable woman who shows her colleagues she doesn't get affected by what they say but cracks in the confines of her own personal space...it's refreshingly done.

I have yet to check out 'Ringer' but once I do then my valuable opinions shall make their way here. Shows I'm definitely looking forward to in October include Homeland, Grimm and Once Upon a Time. I cannot wait to see Damian Lewis back on screen, it's such a shame NBC cancelled 'Life', it was such a good show, something I'm sure a lot of Life and NBC fans will never forgive NBC for doing. Well that's it for now folks, have yourselves an awesome weekend, or at least what's left of it. And...watch this space for more stuff. May the power of thought, imagination and progress forever be yours to acquire, gain and possess, for they are the most important ingredients to make this life of yours count. Well on that cheery and dreary note, cheers, adios and all that good stuff.

*Transmission ended*

Hiatus

Gotta love that word, hell it makes me feel like those prime-time fall shows that go off the air over the summer and come back with a BANG some time around now in the fall. Well here I am, and ready to go through a verbal free fall. So let me start off by saying, how kind of you to tag along and join the ride. I have no spoilers for the season ahead, oh wait, *doh* this ain't a TV show now is it? What do we have on the menu? Nothing in particular, the usual fare, randomness served up with even more randomness and just the general joy and angst of being back to the writing board.

Man did the summer fly by, I mean one moment it's all *bloody hell I hope it's summer soon*, next moment *Boom! Bang! Kabang! Alakazam! Hello summer here we are*, and then *Bam!* the next moment it's all done and it all happened in the blink of an eye, and you honestly do stop, ponder and wonder if all that time really did pass you by. Well I keep bringing back summer like something major happened over the summer, but no, nothing major happened, I mean we had a few major comic book and other novel adaptations on that huge ass silver screen come out this summer, some bigger than others, but of course one thing has to be said about them...The movies never quite live up to the books and I'm not sure how many ever will, but it's still an attempt that should be lauded, and despite saying that, I know, I'll be one of those people lining up to see how they adapted my favourite book on the big screen. Curiosity will always be the biggest draw for such genres of cinema, yes it is a genre 'cuz nowadays it has carved out it's own niche, it has it's own set of viewers who will definitely show up to show their support for said project. However that being said, the screenplays aren't exactly original now are they? They're adapted from the original creator's body of work and given a life of their own. That being said, my summer was a time to recharge the batteries, to re-align and re-design priorities, and to refresh and revel those bonds that matter. Oh yeah I'd love to say that it was also the time I took to rescind those bonds that are just a pure waste of my time and energy, but I didn't exactly get around to doing that. I mean who the hell thinks of stuff like that when they have more important things to take care of? Garbage always finds a way to dispose of itself..

I literally spent my time in my Fortress of Solitude brooding creating, destroying, contemplating and regrouping myself. There's always going to be a point in everybody's lives where the hustle bustle of life literally pops you all out and you just need a lot of time to pick yourself up and do what you think is best for yourself. I'm not sure if it makes sense but picture it this way, you are physically free but your mind is caged in, absolutely trapped and weighed down by the sheer volume of thoughts, actions and plans of action that you keep creating and discarding. People are at peace when they're mentally freed, freedom isn't just about the physical source of being free, where you aren't tied down, or cuffed to a radiator or sum'n, freedom is when given the time of day you don't feel like the wind is being knocked outta you by the right hook your brain assaulted you with. It's not having that feeling of being Atlas or inverse Atlas where the weight of the world resides on your chest and not on your back. The human mind is an amazing tool all by itself, you don't need scientific research to prove that, you just need a few On days and Off days to do so. There isn't a more liberating feeling in the world than to think through everything and find your solution instead of hitting up dead ends and bigger obstacles that you have to find more ways to overcome. 

Of course don't ask me what happened, 'cuz I myself didn't see the final result of all that summer fresh brain harvesting. But here I am giving a discourse on freedom and brains and fortresses and things of the sort. There were a few but fabulous events from the summer that I absolutely loved being part of and just feel really special and blessed when I think back to them, and then there were some not so pleasant events. But I guess if you look at it from an astrally projected 3rd person point of view you can't have the good without the bad, but, I must say thank you to my wonderful family/el familio/family outside of immediate family that beats immediate family at being family :D, for being so awesome and supportive. You guys know how to make things right if not better and you make every moment count. Thanks for keeping me in check and keeping that big picture in perspective, we are so totally gonna take over if not dominate the world. Look out world, we're on our way, coming soon to every billboard near you...well if you're not the billboard kinda person then every monitor/screen/device near you. Oh yeah we're that damn good.

Alright so here's the deal, I'm making quick random spurts of acknowledgement to things that I think you all should keep your senses peeled for, 'cuz I think it may blow your mind away.

Firstly, mad props to my boy Shah and his co-creator Gui for bringing their beautiful web comic creation, titled 'Qwixotic', out there for us heathens to revel in and enjoy. I believe it is coming out soon, so watch your spaces for updates 'cuz that's something you will get from me. The artwork is simply bloody brilliant. Congratulations with your Fan-Expo stint, I can only wish you guys all the very best and much success in the upcoming Comic Cons and conventions, You guys deserve nothing but the best for all your hardwork and dedication! In case you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about I strongly encourage and recommend visiting the link following up in the next few lines. So do yourselves a favor and check out,

http://qwixotic.wordpress.com/

Next on the list is the Hunger Games series. It's quite an intense read and not your regular fare sorta tale. It's a fantastical concept and very original and imaginative. I believe the movies are coming out soon, none the less if you can read the books I'd say go ahead and read 'em. They're not your standard fare, well nowadays standard fare would be vampire, werewolves and supernatural tales wouldn't it? But they aren't any of those, to put it simply try imagining it this way...well this is the way the author imagined it, so, try imagining and blending  war and reality TV. In essence that's the base if not core foundation, of course you do have so much more to it than just that...but it's the starting point. You  may find the beginning boring, but, it gets quite a grip on your attention a few chapters in.

Next on this list is the movie 'Sucker Punch'...holy hell did that movie pack in quite a punch. Such brilliant bloody cinematography and a brilliant script to go with it too. Such beautiful work, really there's a lotta scenes in the movies where the actors didn't have to mouth lines to convey a message, their expressions, gestures and the cameras did a fantastic job of telling the story. It was a brilliant movie that just rocked me to very core, bloody fantastic movie. If you're the faint of heart who cannot bear topics of violence and abuse and the darker and grittier aspects of humanity that isn't delved into too much, or might be overly done in terms of treatment and all of that fun stuff, or the kind who can't stomach the conceptual aspects of Law & Order SVU or Criminal Minds (well it isn't as gruesome) then you might want to think twice about it. Otherwise, take a watch, it's a pretty brilliant flick.

Check out the following shows, if you haven't done so already, they're worth the tele time

-Leverage
-Rizzoli & Isles
-Body of Proof
-Alphas (interesting show/concept, it's Heroes with a more scientific approach and reasoning to things)

New shows I definitely wanna check out that might cause me to rant and rave 'bout it include the following, and you'll hear from me if sucks or totally rocks my socks.

-Ringer (C'mon who can say no to SMG big return to prime-time tele? I know I can't say no to Buffy I mean SMG :P)
-Grimm
-Once Upon a Time

Alright folks, so that's a wrap, I just wanted to make my big bang return to my verbal outflow centre. I hope things are going well with all of ya'll and until next time take care and have yourselves a bloody brilliant time.