Day One Hundred and Forty-six - Tron:Uprising, Isolated, "I... may have been hasty."

A few days ago, I was just so happy to finally get a chance to check out the animated tie-in of the Tron universe that I probably forgave more than I should have when it came to plotholes, flat characters, and just general overall cheese.

Now that I'm a couple of episodes in, the bloom is definitely off the rose.

It's not that I don't still enjoy it, somewhat, it's just that there are only so many times I can take awkward scenes, characters acting against type, and the tendency towards episodic resets.

I mean, for a city of thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of programs... The Occupation sure finds plenty of time to interact specifically with Beck and the rest of the garage's mechanics on a regular basis, yet completely forget them once the half-hour is over. I've seen Beck's two compatriots arrested and held several times now by the bad guys and not once do any of the red/orange-shirts stop and say, "Hey, didn't I round you up last week and you escaped? That's suspicious!"

That and the blatant incompetence that the big bad forgives of his direct subordinates, yet punishes with deadly force the slightest infraction by the no-face Redshirts of his army. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Paul Reubens is getting work, but the crap his character Pavel and Emmanuelle's Paige (who should've been named Page... no 'i') get away with, they should've been derezzed long ago.

I mean, consider this episode, Isolated. Paige and Pavel chase the disguised Beck to an island of code out in the middle of the Sea of Simulation. What should be a prime case of actual character development is just more Pavel backstabbing (with no consequences, other than venomous looks) and Paige's mopey hostility.

Sure, the one highlight is the cameo by Olivia Wilde, reprising her role of Quorra from Legacy, but the interactions we see here via Paige's flashbacks are all awkward and ultimately pointless. The whole Iso angle should have deepened both the overall universe and Paige's own personal quest, but thanks to terrible writing and direction, it's useless... a failure.

And that's the whole problem with the series. I really have no trouble understanding why it was cancelled, now. I want to like it. Hell, I want to love it. But for every small moment of potential that peeks through the veil, there are dozens of pathetic, cliche ones that come straight out of Horrible Trope Television 101.

At this point, I can only recommend Tron:Uprising for folks who are desperately in love with Legacy as it retains the fighting and graphic styles. For fans of great television and storytelling? Stay far, far away.

Day Seventy-nine - The Next Three Days, or "Tension. Pure, Unadulterated Tension."

Thrillers are generally hit or miss with me... even if they have a clever premise, they're either riddled with plot holes or stretch my suspension of disbelief far beyond the breaking point, leaving me a bit bitter, even if I enjoyed myself.

Take The Fugitive, for example.

I love that movie, but it's so utterly ridiculous. The one-armed man, the U.S.Marshals, the real reason for the murder/coverup, the dive from the dam... all of it. Prime popcorn movie, but even as it's relatively smart, it still makes me sigh all over the place.

The Next Three Days, however... wow.

This is the pattern from which all thrillers should be cut.

First of all, it keeps you amped pretty much the entirety of the movie. Even when there's a moment of relaxation, it's bookended by supremely tense moments... and that's right from the start.

The movie opens on a dinner where Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks are double dating with his brother and sister-in-law. An argument unexpectedly breaks out and I could feel myself digging my fingers into the cushion of my seat. Then, there's a brief intimate interlude, so... sexual tension. From there we have a moment of respite where we see domestic bliss then--BAM--police are busting down the door.

And there are sequences like that throughout the entirety of the movie. Good, smart, tight moments of pacing, always keeping you on the edge of your seat.

We see Crowe's character John go from supportive, but despairing, husband and father into a new phase of his life, one dedicated to getting his wife out of prison, no matter what the cost... so long as they are together as a family. He sells his house, his furniture, everything. He even goes so far as to consider robbing a bank... but settles for the ill-gotten gains of a neighborhood drug dealer instead.

Elizabeth Banks doesn't get as much screen time as Crowe, but she's just as dedicated to her own role. Whether it's her jailhouse suicide attempt or her pushing her husband away, Banks' Lara is every bit believable... especially considering, for the length of the movie, you're never really sure that she actually is innocent. Her husband is, though, and that's all that matters. It's a great way to keep the audience suspicious, yet invested... skeptical, yet sympathetic.

I also love the supporting actors... whether it's Daniel Stern as John and Lara's lawyer, Brian Dennehy as John's gruff father, Olivia Wilde as a playmate's mother... Liam Neeson, The RZA, Lennie James, and Kevin Corrigan. There is a tremendous cast of side characters here, and every single one of them is authentic and pitch perfect.

Honestly, The Next Three Days is one of the smartest written, well directed, impeccably shot, and excellently acted thrillers that I've seen in years.

Seriously, go out and check this movie as soon as you can. It ranks up there with Cloud Atlas, Lincoln, and Paperman in terms of great films that I've seen in the past year. I only wish I had caught it in the theaters.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Five - Butter, or "Wow. Shockingly Good Cinema About Sweetened Lard."

Watching the trailer for Butter quite a few months back, I knew that I really wanted to see the film, but I've been burned by seductive trailers before. That is the often broken promise given to us by marketing departments in studio after studio. The trailer is there just to get your butt in the seat and that's all, so lies and deception are almost expected whole-heartedly.

Still... the trailer for Butter gave me hope... and, oddly enough, it delivered on most of it's promises.

One of said promises was Olivia Wilde. Pretty much any role she chooses to play, I'll be there to watch if given the opportunity. I am an utterly unashamed fanboy of hers thanks to House and Tron:Legacy.

The other of said promises was actual thoughtful comedy. It's not highbrow or anything. You don't have to have a degree in standup or The Complete Works of Woody Allen and Mel Brooks (No Relation), but it's also doesn't "pander to the lowest common something or other." There are biting, if obvious, jabs at both the left and the right... even if you can tell which way the overall slant is.

This is all not to say that it doesn't have it's flaws. The premise is silly, but not ridiculous enough to wash away how uncomfortably real it all is. I mean, with something like The Campaign or The Hangover, there's a certain amount of incredulity that makes those films more palatable. It's also just a bit too ridiculous to maintain the warmth and relatability of films like Grumpy Old Men. Butter sits somewhere in the middle, and in doing so, is caught between two ideals... not serving either very well.

Maybe that's too harsh. Maybe Butter is it's own thing and should be judged as such, but this is the way I feel.

In any case, very solid (if mellow) performances by many of the folks involved, including: Alicia Silverstone, Rob Corddry, Ty Burrell, Kristen Schall, and Phyllis Smith. I say (in parenths) that they're mellow due to the fact that even Rob Corddy's much deserved meltdown is pretty tame.

Also, I've seen Jennifer Garner is this character before. She does a good job, don't get me wrong, but it feels old hat.

I think my main disappointment was also my original draw to the film. Olivia. It's not that she didn't bring it, it's just that there wasn't exactly all that much to bring. She didn't have really enough to work with, and her brief interactions needed expanding for her character to have more worth other than just a convenient foil. It just didn't feel like she had enough skin in the game (ironic, considering she's a stripper here) for her to really care all that much and do the things she does, especially towards the end of the film.

It would be unfair not to give props to relative newcomer Yara Shahidi, who plays butter sculptor Destiny and has worked mostly television before this. She trades off narration duties with Ms.Garner over the length of the film and her commentary is a nice offset to the stereotyped Mama Grizzly character of her opponent.

All in all, Butter is a pretty solid flick. Perhaps a little too overzealous with the cracks at the Christian Right and not the best film I've seen all year, but certainly pretty safe.

Not quite gripping satire, not quite heartwarming slice-of-life, it's a fairly tame, yet still pleasingly entertaining. I definitely recommend it, even through its flaws.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~