Day One Hundred and Four - Robotech: Season 1, Episode 1, "Did... did that cartoon just show people DYING?"

Almost thirty years ago, Robotech and Voltron were the first anime that I was ever exposed to... and I loved them immensely.

This was particularly the case with Robotech. Sure, it was a silly actioner with giant robots fighting giant people (who were also in giant robots), but it was also leaps and bounds ahead of regular 80's cartoons when it came to story, drama, romance, and special effects.

It was also the first cartoon I ever saw that didn't mince when it came to death. In that first episode we see quite a few folks disintegrate when caught in explosions. My child-self found it awesome that a show marketed to me didn't pull punches and thought I was mature enough to handle fantasy depictions of death.

Adult-me still lauds Harmony Gold.

Unfortunately, adult-me is also privy to the fact that Harmony Gold took three distinct shows and threw them together with a very loose story that, upon reflection, makes little to no sense... especially when you get to season 3, The New Generation.

But, hey... we're talking about the first season, The Macross Saga, here.

Alright, first things first, yes... the animation is rough. Not as bad as, say, GIJOE or HE-MAN, but still, you can definitely tell the difference between 80's era anime and its modern cohorts (say, Evangelion... but even EVA is feeling dated when compared to stuff like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Gurren Lagann).

There's a certain amount of maturity to the story progression and character dynamics, though. Sure, it follows your typical alien invasion plotline and the players are pretty much just tropes and archetypes (The Rookie Natural, The Ace Pilot, The Stoic Admiral), but it's not bad at all.

Yes, there's a lot of cheese and you have to stretch your mind a bit and forgive the silly Harmony Gold narrator who force-feeds you exposition, but it still, somehow, works.

I'm also a big fan of the fact that it's a multinational taskforce... something that you never really saw much of back then. Granted, they changed Hikaru to Rick Hunter in a terrible anglicizing of the character, but just about every ethnic group is represented in Macross City... and not a one is a stereotype beyond Minmei's Aunt and Uncle running a Chinese restaurant.

Plus, GIANT ROBOTS... and semi-realistic ones that transform from obvious F-16 Tomcat base models. They're not like Voltron with his obvious human features and emotes (something that always pulled me out). As far as cheesy scifi vehicles go, they're actually fairly believable. Much props to the original creators of Macross.

I love Robotech. It follows a grand, ambitious series arc and does it with just the right amount of action, drama, and romance for the kid in me, both now and then.

Yes, I have to suffer through the silly antics of Minmei, but it's still worth it after all these years. It's not a 5-star series, but it's competent and entertaining, almost thirty years later... and that's a rarity (as I cannot really stand MacGyver or Murder, She Wrote anymore).

Can I recommend it? Well, yes and no. It should be tried, I think, by anyone interested in Anime or Scifi, but it's not a sterling example to try and hook someone into either medium or genre with.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Three - The West Wing: Season 1, Episode 19, "Idealism in the face of stark reality gets me pumped!"

If there's one thing I love about the way Aaron Sorkin preaches from his television pulpit it's that he never falls short of aiming really freaking high.

It's been a while since I've watched any West Wing. In fact, I can trace it back to the marathon run of fifteen episodes I did over a forty-eight hour period right around the time of Day Zero as I was enjoying my New Years.

Naturally, I didn't blog about them all, but I do feel it's safe to skip around a bit. Once you've gotten a feel for the West Wing you really only need to pick your favorite issues from the description text and zoom in on one or two particular episodes to give yourself the feel good patriotism and idealism that you actually can and should make a difference... and so should our leaders.

Even fictional ones.

Using that rough formula, I jumped to episode nineteen. I did this because while the narrative is scattered with several story threads concerning an overarching theme of the Bartlet Administration being soft and tame, more worried about reelection than doing what's right, one of the mini-arcs deals with Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

I was an Army Brat when DADT was floated through the Clinton Administration as a "compromise" to allow closeted members of the armed forces to serve. Being a straight teenager from a Catholic officer's family, I didn't see what the hubbub was all about. Trying to be a good Boy Scout, a good Altar Boy... just a good young man, I openly trumpeted Gingrich's "Contract with America" thanks to an enthusiastic gym teacher whom, in retrospect, I have to wonder wasn't just in denial herself, being heavily in her own closet.

And that bit of personal history makes me ashamed.

Sure, as of 2011, DADT is defunct and gays and lesbians can openly serve, but the West Wing was fighting for this issue way back in 2000... and I wish I was, too. When I was a teen in the 90's, I latched on to things and supported them blindly, not knowing the people I was hurting. When I went to college and started meeting and interacting, becoming friends with the folks my stupid politics were discriminating against, I truly began to grasp the depths of my shame.

I love this episode... because it feels like a call to arms. Whether it's Sam confronting Congressmen and DoD Majors on the issue of DADT or Josh getting riled up over party leadership from BOTH sides dictating nominees to the Administration, just about every moment feels like the omnipresent "THEM" are kicking "US" while we're down... and it's time to stand up and FIGHT BACK!

YEAH!

That's not to say there isn't any despair over the fact that "this is the way it is and this is the way it's always going to be," thanks to our powerful ruling class and their need for status quo, but that all stops when Leo and Bartlet argue in the penultimate scene of the episode... finally resolving to show some grit. It was all very much reminiscent of The American President when Martin Sheen was playing the chief of staff and Michael Douglas was the tired, idealistic President more focused on reelection than what was right.

Makes sense, though... considering that was ALSO Sorkin.

Sure, I guess that means he's just repeating what he's already done, but I like it... hell, I love it. Probably because it fits right in with my Democratic ideals and I hope that doesn't mean that my critical thinking concerning politics hasn't been compromised so I'm just lock-in-step with the opposite party of my teen years, trading one style of corruption for another, but still.

I think the West Wing is worth it... but only for those perfect moments of virtue and, well, idealism that are scattered throughout the series. If you are wondering which ones I'm talking about, stick with me as I'll be following the above formula and talking about them in the blog.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Two - Clue, "Communism is just a Red Herring"

There is something just so infinitely pleasing about Clue.

What could have been a travesty of an example of Hollywood mining the kids games and shows of yesteryear (GIJoe, Battleship, Transformers), was given such sterling treatment in terms of concept, writing, and quality actors.

I mean, seriously... Madeline Kahn? Christopher Lloyd? Michael McKean?

Tim Curry, for crying out loud!

If I were to criticize anything about the casting, I'd be left only with Lee Ving as Mr.Body. He really isn't convincing either as the king of a blackmailing ring or a butler in his own right, but maybe that's just me.

I suppose they were just going for as oily a character as they could make for the fifteen or so minutes he's onscreen before someone in the house makes him the requisite murder victim we all knew he'd be from the game.

Anyways, the basic premise is that of the board game with a few twists to make rational the liberties taken with the game's names and scenarios.

A group of six men and women, from differing professions, backgrounds, and means, and known of whom know each other, all come together for a dinner party where they are invited to confront the person who has been blackmailing them individually. They are served dinner, treated to the revelation of their own shames, and shown the administer of their misfortune... and then the murder begins.

Now, that sounds dark, but it's really a rather lighthearted affair because, despite the seriousness of the situation as nerves begin to crumble and bodies stack up, just about every line is embedded with amusing snark and there's just the right amount of whimsy and slapstick.

As far as comedy goes, you can never go wrong with Clue.

All of the main ensemble and a good many of the victims (that's right, victims, plural) have golden moments of sarcasm, innuendo, or just outright buffoonery, but you never feel like any of it is forced or hackneyed.

Whether it's Col.Mustard being outwitted by everyone in the room or Professor Plum's lustiness, Mrs.White's black widow routine or Mr.Green's cowering dorkiness, each actor plays their archetypes with such comedic aplomb that I cannot help but memorize their lines, intonation and all, and play the fool right along with them.

The standout for the film is, of course, Tim Curry as Wadsworth the Butler. Sure, everyone is spot on perfect, but he all but steals the show from the rest of the cast. Where they are all immaculate cogs in the murder-mystery machine, he is at the helm and drives the entirety of the film.

This is, for me, Tim's finest role. While I love Rocky Horror to death, it's not even close to as neat, tidy, funny, and consistent as Clue.

The entirety of the film gels in such as way as to beg perfection. It's only real issue is that it's never quite cinematic. It feels more like a stupendous bit of theater that just happens to have been put to film.

Maybe that's due to there only really being one location and being a one-trick genre pony that is just so darn clever and appealing, but still, I'd be hard pressed not to nominate this film for Best Comedy and Screenplay.

Speaking of theater, I've seen rumblings online that someone has managed to make a stage production of the film. Boy, would I love to see that! Hell, I'd love to produce that!

If you haven't seen Clue, put it in your queue/buy it immediately. If you have, watch it again! Set up viewings with friends and introduce it to as many Clue-virgins as you can. This is a film that is meant to be enjoyed over and over again until you almost know every line and gesture by heart. It comes with my highest recommendation and woe to the movie-lover that hates it, as I will find you and force feed it to you Clockwork Orange-style until your eyes bleed from its pure awesomeness.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and One - Frasier: Season 11, Episode 20, "Finally, after all these years... I guess?"

Usually, when I start a show on Netflix, I go from the beginning and work my way through the series. The only time I generally skip around is when I've recently seen a season and have specific episodes that I want to revisit.

With Frasier, I don't think that's necessary. Frankly, there's not much reason so go back if you watched Frasier over the years. Really, if you've seen one episode, you've pretty much seen them all. The only real progress over the life of the series was Niles' gradual relationship with Daphne.

Sure, if you take the long view, there have been plenty of great episodes... emmy-winning ones, at that, but it's all so much sophisticated sound and fury. They all love each other despite their respective differences in art, entertainment, and animals (Oh, Eddie, how you thwart Frasier's eternal attempts at good Feng Shui) and nothing ever changes.

The only thing I really cared about over the length of the series was Niles and Daphne and them getting together (which took seven freaking seasons, and another three to tie the knot)... then, the only thing that interested me was the possibility of Frasier gaining a lasting relationship.

I was surprised in the final season (eleven) when the writers took a different approach and gave his father, Martin, a second lease on life... giving him a relationship with his sons' former babysitter (and now, vivacious lounge singer) Ronee, who is played by Wendee Malick.

With both Niles and Marty moving on with their lives and only a few more episodes before the series was slated to finished, I was actually expecting the show to end with Frasier riding off into the sunset an eternal bachelor.

And, honestly, I would've been happy with that. He'd have his work, his apartment back to himself, and his family would be taken care of.

Then Laura Linney entered the picture.

It's only on episode 20 of season 11, FOUR EPISODES before the completion of the series... that any serious attempt is made to give Frasier a tenable lovelife. Sure, he meets her (as his freaking matchmaker) in episode 18 and is shown to be smitten with her at the end of the episode... but, really, it's episode 20 that things get both ridiculous and oddly interesting at the same time.

Why? Because not only does he have to make his romantic intentions known, but he has to do so AND beat out the competition. When said competition is a multilingual, devastatingly handsome naturalist who is played by Aaron Eckhart, you'd think things were hopeless.

Now, its obvious from both the placement of this romance towards the end of Frasier's final season and the generally goofy shenanigans that Frasier, Charlotte (Linney), and Frank (Eckhart) go through that Frasier will win the day and the lady, but still... it's an oddly satisfying episode both in terms of tender moments and cheap laughs.

I mean, really, pretty much any time Frank opens his mouth... whether it's to converse in French with a maître d' or ask for a back rub, I can't help but laugh. It silly and pandering, his caricature of the typical Greenpeace hippie, but it works for the sitcom situation.

I also just really, really love Laura Linney. 

Her smile on top of her beauty and personality make her dazzling to my eyes and the way she plays her character feels like a perfect match for Frasier. It would have been nice to meet her quite a bit earlier in the season and have this competition for her affections last longer than a single episode, but I'm pretty darn satisfied with what I've got.

The B and C stories concerning Marty/Ronee and Roz I can just skip over. The best of the episode is all Frasier and Frank. I mean, honestly... "I punched a raccoon in the face" just has to be one of the best lines ever!

Ooo! I should also give a shoutout to the maître d' who is played by Michael Des Barres whom folks might recognize as Murdoc from MacGyver. Always great to see him (he's also been on Gilmore Girls~).

Back to the matter at hand, if you've ever watched Frasier, you know the overall gist of the series. Really, the only reason to go back is to revisit these last few episodes (probably starting with 18). I've watched them so much that I only need to start with 20 (and plan on skipping 22, as it's just a series retrospective episode that has nothing to do with Charlotte).

Overall, it seems that I'm just a sucker for the pretentious snob with a heart of gold getting the girl. I wonder why that is? ;P

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred - Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, "Isn't the fact that it's Universal make it International?"

Wow... 100 days of Netflix.

It feels like I started only yesterday with Day One and Hardware... but also like I've been doing this forever. That's the thing with memory: it exists in both states at once, a kind of quantum uncertainty as our time-sense flickers back and forth.

I'm also living in a weird sort of dual state where I'm both burnt out on media and loving every second of the old favorites and new material that Netflix has brought to me with their streaming package.

In any case, Day One Hundred rolled around and I began to feel the need to be meta... so I chose the only theatrical release of my second favorite television show of all time, Mystery Science Theater.

(The first is, of course, Pushing Daisies which is, sadly, not available on streaming).

Back to the matter at hand... sure, the closing trio of MST3k (Mike, Bill, and Kevin) have been doing one of its two spiritual successors (Rifftrax) live every year, broadcasting in specially streaming theaters across the nation, but it's just not the same without the shadows of Mike (or Joel), Crow, and Tom Servo taking up the bottom third of the screen and adding the occasional physical dynamic to the commentary comedy.

MST3k: The Movie takes most of the silver age cast (including Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Trace Beaulieu) and streamlines the premise of the television series in order to widen the audience and generally introduce the characters and their situation to movie-goers who might not have had the privilege of knowing about MST3k's days on Comedy Central and KTMA.

Trapped in space, Mike Nelson and his Robot Pals (Tom Servo, Crow, and Gypsy) are forced to watch bad movies by their captor, Dr.Clayton Forrester... a would be mad scientist. All of that is just window dressing, though, as the point of the movie (and the series) is a couple of guys getting together and riffing on the cheesy scifi, adventure, and horror films of yesteryear.

MST3k:The Movie chose to riff the classic scifi film This Island Earth, a silly little feature by today's standards that actually had decent effects for its era and tried to rise above its cheesy pulp fiction plot (not very successfully).

Let's just say that it's no Forbidden Planet.

Set in the post-war Americana of the 50's where scifi was all about the Other and the Atomic Age, This Island Earth on its own reminds me of those early comics that played fast and loose with credulity, relying on the most fantastic things they could put to paper and screen.

With the guys adding flavor via their meta-humor (about Meta-Luna, no less~), the movie is pulled up by its dated bootstraps and becomes golden once more. Everything from high-brow political humor to Trek jokes to the crass recurring fart gag, there's something for everyone in the jokes that Mike and the Bots casually lay over This Island Earth's original audio track.

The films, both old and new, are certainly rough... and the added budget of a whole new set and higher quality film and cameras kind of ruins the nostalgic, homespun feel that the series brought. To be honest, that was a lot of the appeal, that notion that a couple of folks with a peanuts budget could put together a consistently fun public-access style show. Seeing it brought up to the cinema level loses all that.

Still, MST3k: The Movie is one of the greatest geek films of all time both for its actual content and for the faction of riffing geekdom that it represents. My only regret is that my mother absolutely hates MST and the show (and my love for it) has been a point of contention between us since I first started watching it in the 90's. It's a small bone to pick, but it's there... lying dormant until my reflexes kick in on movie night and I utter an off-color joke.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Ninety-nine - BONES: Season 1, Pilot, "Yet another procedural... but LOOK, quirky characters!"

Full disclosure, I have a complicated mental history when it comes to Bones.

You'd think, given how much of a fan I am of Boreanaz from his days on Buffy and Angel, that I would've jumped on the Bones bandwagon almost immediately. Unfortunately for the show, when it debuted in the mid-2000's, I didn't have good broadcast television... or cable... or home internet.

I also was in a strange sort of on and off again pseudo-relationship with a woman obsessed with the show. Due to how poisonous my relationship with her was (she also put me off True Blood and never gave back my Firefly box set), I always associated Bones with negative emotions.

As such, I was never really interested in the show... and certainly didn't go out of my way to put it in my queue.

That said, the thing that changed my mind was an off-handed reference to Stephen Fry guesting for an episode or two. Oddly enough, that simple fact allowed me to overcome my negative associations and give it a try. I have no idea which episode(s) he shows up in and don't aim to look it up so I will be forced to eventually watch it in its entirety.

Wouldn't do to have me cheat, would it?

To be honest, the pilot went pretty much as expected. Why? Because I figured it was a simple crime procedural... something that exists in dozens of examples across network and cable television at this very moment. And, to my eye, I was right.

That's not to say that Bones' pilot doesn't try and pull the average viewer in as quickly as possible. In the first minute, we are treated to co-star Michaela Conlin's lingerie as she attempts to extort arrival information from a rude gate jockey.

Yowza... and also cheap.

And that pretty much sums up the entirety of my thoughts concerning Bones.

Based on Kathy Reichs' novels, it's a stereotypical crime drama whose only appeal are its individual idiosyncrasies and hooks. With NCIS its Pauly Perrette and her eternally moe goth gal. With Criminal Minds, it's the Hannibal angle as the profilers inhabit the mindsets of their "unsubs."

For Bones' Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), it's yet another lead with a weird personality who clashes with her everyman partner Booth (David Boreanaz). She's a genius scientist, and author, and a bit of a sex bomb... which makes a trifecta both for women to emulate and men to salivate over... while her opposite number does the same in reverse.

The fact that its ratings have generally been strong are of no surprise to me... but I'm not really inspired by anything save my creeping libido from the constant bevy of shots with Brennan in revealing tops (though, to be honest, I was more taken with Conlin's pink bustier).

This series will no doubt inhabit the darker recesses of my queue for quite some time, never really being watched, but never shoved away and removed, either. It still reminds me of those painful bits years ago and isn't all that thrilling a series, but sometimes you just want to rub salt in your own wounds.

Yes, that's it, I think... Bones brings out my inner masochist. Huh. Never would've considered that if not for the blog.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Ninety-eight - Super 8, "Drugs are SO bad!"

For the past 20 years or so, I could really care less about Spielberg.

Sure, he's made some great films... but he's also collaborated on some real stinkers. I'll leave it up to you to figure out which ones I mean. And, as far as "caring less" about Steven, it's not to say that I don't enjoy his films. It's more that nothing he does really surprises or moves me in the same way his old films did.

With that said, it should come as no surprise that, when I heard about Super 8, I was more excited with the prospect of an awesome J.J.Abrams film than another Spielberg entry into the lexicon.

All I can say is, with every single watching, I'm glad I came.

Super 8, from the very moment I saw it in theaters, has become one of my favorite movies of all time. I'm being completely serious when I say that I have a very difficult time deciding between this, Fight Club, and Millenium Actress for the top honors.

At it's heart, Super 8 is a story of loss, love, and redemption... it just happens to have a giant subterranean alien as its driving force.

Set in the late seventies, the story revolves around a group of middle schoolers who bear witness to the deliberate destruction of an Air Force cargo train, almost losing their lives in the process. After the disaster, they begin to realize that something very strange was on that train and the Air Force company attached to deal with it will do anything in their power to keep it under wraps.

This is pretty much filmmaking at its finest for me. The dozens and dozens of elements all gel together into a perfect melange of plot, suspense, and emotion.

I am particularly taken with the kids they got to play, well, the kids. Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, et al do a tremendous job portraying awesomely unique characters who always seem at home with each other. I never feel any awkwardness from the group unless the standout of the film, Elle Fanning, is there to tweak their nose in their hormones in that cute way 12-year-olds, who are just discovering love, can.

My favorite scenes are those where its just the kids hanging out, working on their movie-within-the-movie, the zombie film that Griffith's character Charles is producing with everyone's help. Whether its in the diner, trying to piece together what's going on, or at Charles' place getting ready to film Alice's (Fanning) zombie scene, there's real chemistry in every knowing look and in all the juvenile banter.

I also want to give a shout out to Noah Emmerich who plays the malevolent Col.Nelec. He manages to bluff as an Air Force bureaucrat more interested in containment than murder for the majority of the film, but the moment you see how far he goes, you understand the depths to his obsession.

As far as cinematography goes, I really love Abrams' color palette for the film. Everything is entirely retro with all the browns, oranges, blues and greys. Whoever was in charge of the art, music, props, and wardrobe knew what they were doing. Kudos to them... especially for the rock of the late 70's that pervaded the soundtrack.

Speaking of the soundtrack, this was where I felt a lot of the homage to Spielburg came into play. Sure, the overall premise of a family adventure movie set with a light scifi backdrop is patent Steven, but the score (separate from the rock music) reminded me of ET and The Goonies the most.

Overall, there's a lot to love about this film. It teases its monster reveal in just the right way, has plenty of emotional complexity to work with (especially when it comes to Joe and Alice and their relationships with their fathers), and is just one of those odd films where everything comes together. It's a movie so perfect in its self-contained universe that I'd never, ever want a sequel or remake.

It's just that good.

If Super 8 isn't in your queue already, I recommend you put it there, at the top of your list, right now. It's the kind of film that only gets better the more you watch it, and is pretty darn close to perfect in its first viewing.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~