A Season/Series Finale: Scrubs
May 15, 2009
The SCRUBS finale was as classy as a finale as you can ask for. It featured call backs to the very first episode, gave each character a moment to shine and say goodbye, and looked to a future where the characters lived their lives until the end, happily. It was JD’s final and finest moment, as he took the time to say goodbye to those last eight years of his life, and leave/end the show with a memorable, perfect ending that had me laughing at times, and crying during the final 15 minutes.
Then I heard yesterday that not only was the show coming back, but both Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke had signed on for 6 more episodes.
COME. ON.
The whole point of a finale is to bring closure for the viewer, and the Scrubs finale was borderline perfect! Coming back for more nullifies the effect of that finale, especially since most of the emotions hinged on the fact that you were watching THE END.
I don’t think I’ll watch any more Scrubs if this turns out to be true. I am done with the show in the best possible way, and don’t want to ruin the emotions that the finale evoked.
If that was the end, I give it a solid A, if it comes back for more, I give it a D- for toying with my fragile emotions.
Best Movie of ’09 [So far...]
February 13, 2009
Neil Gaiman's Coraline
I’ve decided to keep a running tally of all the movies I love that come out in 2009, so it’s not so hard to look back at the end of the year.
Coraline. Liam, Molly, and I attended the 9:30 3D screening of Coraline at the Arclight last night, and it was a sublime experience. Before I even talk about the movie, I want to talk about the 3D. We were given these odd, seemingly polarized 3D glasses before the movie began, and we spent all this time trying to figure out what sort of 3D we were about to watch. These glasses were unlike anything I had ever seen before. Before Coraline began, they showed the trailed for Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D, and that literally blew my mind. A zillion times more impressive than anything shown during the Super Bowl, this 3D was razor sharp perfect. No odd distortions, no double images, just crystal clear perfection. The 3D effect was even more impressive during Coraline, I think due to the nature of it being a stop-motion animated project. All the characters and sets were physically created and a real camera was capturing this for real, no computers were digitally creating the characters or environments in a 2D plane. Everything had depth and I felt as if I was looking inside a wonderful box of… well wonder. The camera was actually there in this world, looking inside it, and the 3D heightened that sense of looking into a real world. It is hard to describe, but it was just perfect and I have a hard time thinking a digital, 3D movie will be able to achieve the same effect so well.
In terms of the actual movie Coraline, it was thrilling, unnerving, and is instantly one of my favorite animated movies of all time. It told a great story, without holding out on the dark themes or scary images. As a stop motion film, I haven’t seen anything like it since The Nightmare Before Christmas. They are both very different, but both very excellent. I loved it. Now it’s up to Pixar’s Up to up the ante.
On what exactly did Fringe spend those $10 Million?
September 9, 2008
It's Pacey!
Around a month ago I got my hands on an early screener for the Fringe pilot. Being an unabashed fan of everything JJ Abrams [Felicity, Alias, and LOST were all brilliant before he moved on to other projects -though LOST has recaptured what it once lost], my sister and I sat down to watch the very hyped, Fringe pilot.
Our initial reaction? Meh…
We were excited to see Pacey back on our TV, and any show that uses Lance Reddick must be of quiality. But there was just something missing. We were never hooked or intrigued enough to care about the show. The lead actress was rather bland, and the story, again, not compelling enough.
LOST’s pilot was brilliantly brutal and engrossing from the very first second. Fringe tries to bring back the magic by opening in an airplane, but they just don’t get it. Melting faces and projectile vomiting are not as thrilling as a plane crash.
To its credit, the show is very well produced. I am looking forward to the next few episodes, as it is being billed as a procedural drama, which when done well [The Closer] can be absolutely thrilling. Yet when done sloppily [Criminal Minds], well it means I won’t bother tuning in.
Two things I did love about Fringe were the titles integrated with the scenes. Everytime a new location was presented, it was announced with over the top captions that are made to look like someone hung them into the environment. They are fantastic, and a wonderful evolution of Alias’s title cards. The fact that there an evil corporation doing sinister experiments with Fringe sciences also guarantees some sort of LOST/Dharma-ish mysteries that I can’t wait to learn more about. I was also very intrigued about where the show can go in the future. When Lance Reddick explains what kind of Fringe cases they might investigate, my mind just tingles with excitement.
I’ll definitely continue watching, but it needs to have a very compelling episode that makes it rise above other shows. LOST had it, go watch the fourth episode of the first season “Walkabout”. Brilliant episode that paved the way for an amazing show. Let’s hope Fringe has the magic.
Here’s other people’s take:
