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V: Serpent's Tooth (2011)
Revenge of the Soul
I get the whole thing about human emotions being both a weakness and our greatest strength. Star Trek pulled that idea out every few episodes it seemed. But I don't get why an advanced alien race would believe in the power of the "human soul" as a real and independent entity. Why does Anna's mother believe in it? Why does Anna believe her mother without question despite no facts or logic to back her up? If the V don't believe in the human's god, they shouldn't be believing in abstract concepts like the soul.
This episode came off as sounding preachy and sanctimonious. Human souls aren't going to beat the V but human perseverance, passion, and ingenuity just might.
Glee: Theatricality (2010)
More Kurt and Finn
The situation with Kurt and Finn being made to room together was rather outlandish. The parents probably thought it could work since they were in Glee Club and were friends. But they didn't know that Kurt was in love with Finn. Obviously that would have made a big difference in their decision.
While Finn became excessively angry and hurtful, Kurt almost forced this kind of reaction from him. He showed remarkably little empathy or tact in his decision making regarding the living arrangements and never once considered Finn's feelings. He simply would not back off and kept forcing the issue until Finn exploded.
That being said, the father's reaction was also completely understandable. He didn't know all that had been leading up to the argument. All he knew was that his son was being hurt and he retaliated. However, if the father was being forced to live with a gay guy who kept making advances on him, I doubt he would handle the situation better.
So while I believe the majority of the confrontation was Kurt's fault, I felt that all involved were at least a little in the wrong. I do credit the writers for being true to the characters though. Kurt was in love and seeing the object of his affections so close, he got blinded and missed the obvious signs. Finn got backed into a corner and retaliated harshly and the father only wanted to protect his son.
Glee: The Power of Madonna (2010)
Fun Episode but felt a little forced
There was maybe 3 or 4 minutes of this hour that didn't have to do with Madonna. It's like honey. Honey is really good and sweet but too much of it starts to make you feel a little sick.
It also felt that several key parts of the storyline were adjusted just so they could connect it to Madonna. Having 3 virgins suddenly want to have sex just so they could play "Like a Virgin" didn't really fit the flow of the season. Making all the guys act even more like misogynists than usual so they could empower all the girls was kind of offensive as well.
It almost felt like Madonna's agent was standing over their shoulders during this episode, trying to eek out every minute of promotion for his client.
Don't get me wrong, it was still enjoyable. But not up to the usual standards I've come to expect from Glee.
Legend of the Seeker (2008)
No Longer Tragic and Dark
I like Legend of the Seeker. I really do. It's just hard sometimes to see how different it is from the books. It's like they took a one page outline of the book and have been filling in the pieces until it's completely different from the original.
I can sort of see the reason for it. The books are dark, tragic, and laden with misery, deceit, and treachery. While a series like that might be able to sustain an audience, the masses tend to prefer hero stories where good and bad are easily categorized and good always triumphs at the end of the hour.
Whenever I see something "glossed over" and made palatable to the audience, I can't help but think, "That's wrong". The sad thing is, I'd probably enjoy the series much more if I hadn't read the books.
Still, I keep watching Legend of the Seeker and will continue to do so. It's better than most things on TV and I love the characters.
Shogun (1980)
DVD Review
I recently got the DVD collection and sat down to watch this great mini-series again. Even after several viewings over the years, it's hard to believe that I can still get so caught up in this world of honor and brutality. Never has 9 hours went by so fast.
Obviously, things weren't perfect. This was made over 20 years ago with only a moderate budget. The extra DVD in this set was actually pretty good (better than most DVD "extras"). It told of the many cultural and communication problems involved with filming a movie in Japan with many non-English speaking Japanese actors. What I found particularly interesting was that Yôko Shimada, who played Mariko, didn't speak a word of English. She was a last minute (somewhat desperate) casting choice who pretty much only got the part because she faked the English language well. It was also quite funny to hear stories told by Richard Chamberlain and John Rhys-Davies about Toshirô Mifune trying to get into his Toranaga character. How he would grunt and growl to everyone who came near him.
Speaking of these two, I've always liked John Rhys-Davies and always perked up a little when his character was on the screen. He brought so much power and energy to the role that it was hard to take your eyes off his performance.
And Chamberlain actually became Blackthorne to me. Maybe he was over the top at times but I just accepted that as part of Blackthorne's character. This part was originally slated for Sean Connery but, while I like Connery a lot, I don't think it would have been possible for him to give a better performance than Chamberlain. So while I've never really liked Chamberlain in anything else he's done, he was the perfect Blackthorne in my eyes.
So many little things were done right in Shogun. The intracasies of the sets and costumes, the viewing of the Japanese culture through Blackthornes eyes, and the graceful use of a narrator (Orson Wells) instead of clunky subtitles to let us know what was being said in Japanese. In particular, the Tea Ceremony was entirely in Japanese yet, even without knowing the language, the actors facial expressions conveyed so much that we almost knew what was happening, even before the narrator filled us in.
The only thing I have left to say is that Shogun is an experience you won't forget. They don't do TV like this anymore.