Good Television in the Decade of Zeroes

I've been thinking about this a lot lately... Is it just me or has Television really moved closer to excellence in the past couple years? Since The Sopranos debuted over a decade ago, producers have really upped the ante on what Television can do. And it's bled from less edgy channels like HBO to some (I use that word VERY lightly) broadcast networks. We've seen some of the best television ever made! The Wire, Mad Men, Arrested Development, Lost, The West Wing, Family Guy, 24, Veronica Mars, Six Feet Under, Friday Night Lights, Modern Family, Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, House, Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Glee (though I personally have a love/hate relationship with that show), Alias, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (A little older, but we're still feeling it's impact),  30 Rock, (I could go on and on) enter the fray to change what we expect out of Television shows.  The Wire and Mad Men will probably go down as the Citizen Kane and Casablanca of Television. In the Decade of Zeroes, I think people will remember what came from the Tube than what came from the Silver Screen.

Oh Dillon, Texas

If you told me six months ago that a TV show would consume me for most of the summer, not only in obsession for the show itself, but also inspire me to create a new project, I would have probably said... um, okay? I mean, I would never doubt my ability to immerse myself into a movie or television show, but then, the season of television was mostly ending and we were heading into the doldrums of summer viewing. Well, was I surprised.

Don't Dare put THESE Toys in the Attic!

!!!May Contain SPOILERS!!!

So last night I had the privilege of attending a screening of Toy Story 3 with a Q&A with Michael Arndt (the screenwriter) afterward. It was the third time I've seen it, and it's still is just as great as the first time. I've dared to call it the perfect Part 3 to a trilogy. It made me so happy because the first two films are two of my favorites, and this did not disappoint. From the (BRILLIANT) opening sequence where they actualize what Andy's imagination and playtime would really be like for our toy characters (even using dialog from the opening play sequence from the first film), I knew this was going to be just as great as the other two films. What I did not anticipate was how emotional it is. That especially sucks if you're wearing 3D goggles. I can't recall another film outside of E.T. that pretty much forces you to cry at the end.

Why is it the perfect trilogy? Because it uses set ups and emotional cues from the first films. Had the first two never been made, this might be satisfying, but it wouldn't have the emotional wallop. Over 15 years we've grown up with these toys, they're devotion to their owner, Andy, and the odds they've gone through to maintain that.

"Inception", or How I Learned To Not Trust People In My Dreams or Just Their Opinions On Movies About Dreams

Trust me. I'm not late to the game, I just procrastinated (which is one of my character flaws) on putting this out there, and then I kinda forgot about it. BUT, then Carson decided to review it. Which got me thinking. So I'm compelled to go ahead and try again.

***Please note the following contains major SPOILERS for both "Inception" and "The Prestige"***

It's Never too late to talk about "Inception"

So, after seeing the film again, my opinion of the film changed after I picked up on things that I didn't the first time. The first time I became enchanted by it, but left the theater feeling a little cold about it. I loved the last haunting image, but didn't feel the pieces fit together very well.

To Be Something; or how to be excited and then not about what I'm told is a huge stepping stone!

So in May of this year I submitted my feature screenplay, "Be Something" for the 2010 Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka the Oscars). Yesterday, they announced the winners, and a Huge Congratulations to all of them! It's the most well respected and prestigious of Screenwriting Competitions in the world, and one Hollywood takes very seriously. What sets it apart from other contests is that it's looking for Great Writing and Storytelling. If it has commercial appeal, fantastic, but they're trying to find

So, "Mad Men" Season 4 just ended this week...

That shouldn't be news to those who watch the beloved 3 time winner for the Best Drama Series Emmy. There better be some Damn Good Television this next season, because this Season was even more deserving than those first three!

But in reading several recaps of the finale, both intellectual, and humorous, I realized I should be like everyone else and their extended families and post about it too. Especially after I wrote a much too long comment to Sarah Skilton's thoughtful analysis. So, I'm gonna elongate what I wrote on Sarah's blog...

Dear "The Event"

Dear The Event,

You're not "Lost". So don't TRY to be provocative in your mystery. You shouldn't want to be "Flash Forward", but apparently you really liked that show.

K. Here's my beef with this show. A majority of the mysteries they introduced in the Pilot, which wasn't a bad pilot, they've ALREADY told us about, and it's only EPISODE 5.

I'm just curious. The show was picked up for a full season yesterday. Clearly the only mystery they really care about is "What is THE EVENT"? But I don't think it can sustain a full 22 episodes, and god forbid it must do it for more than that?