Top 25 TV Shows of 2015-14: Part 2

My list of the Best shows on TV begins! For the first part of the list, click here.

26: Helix - Season 2

Season 1 of Helix was the type of show that presents just enough questions to keep you coming back for more, even though the series itself barely manages to reach mediocrity. On the other hand, Season 2 fixed a few of the problems, while presenting a whole new batch of even worse issues.

Season 2 of Helix continually tried to one ups itself with one "What the Heck!" moment after another. Character motivations or logic is completely thrown out the window to the point where the story just fell apart. Aside from the perfect use of songs that serve as a tonal clash to the what is happening on screen, Helix season 2 is an absolute mess with few redeeming qualities.

Of all the series on the list, Helix is the only legitimately terrible one. There is absolutely no reason to watch, because you will just be left hanging with a cliffhanger and so many questions that you do not care anymore.
Watch if you like: Terrible writing,
-2.3/10

Plot Summary: Taking place a year after last season 1's cliffhanger, Season 2 finds the characters looking for the cause of a new virus on an island where a cult leader with a mysterious past rules over his followers. Strange and bizarre developments unfold as the characters all eventually end up looking for the same thing on the island.

25: Scorpion - Season 1

Conceptually, Scorpion is a ingenious idea. Essentially, you take a geek squad of super-geniuses in various areas use their genius to fight criminals for the FBI. Unfortunately, characters can only be as smart as the writers.

At times, the writing is so stupid that I wonder if someone actually read the script before filming. Seriously, my father and I agreed that if either one of us read the script for some of these episodes, we would definitely know that it should not be put through production. However, other times, the series is a lot of fun to watch with fun concepts and good humor. I would say that half of episodes are good and the other half are really dumb.

Due to the massive rating success, Scorpion is returning for another season, and I plan to continue watching it
Watch if you like: Smart people in a standard Procedural,
-5.5/10

Plot Summary: Scorpion is CBS's attempt at a smart crime drama starring Elyes Gabel as Walter O'Brian, a super genius. Walther leads a team of geniuses, who call themselves Scorpion that work as contractors for Homeland Security.

24: Elementary - Season 3

Elementary season 3 attempted to changed up the status quo a little in the beginning, and while it ultimately ended up in the same place as any other season, season 3 continued to give us fairly entertaining mysteries to solve.

Nothing about season 3 of Elementary stood out compared to the previous seasons, but what do you expect from a procedural? However, the series continued to be the same consistently entertaining TV series that it has been for the last two seasons. For my full review and rating, please click here.

Watch if you like: Procedurals, Sherlock Holmes,

Plot Summary: In the aftermath of season 2’s finale, Sherlock, Watson, and Sherlock’s new apprentice, Kitty Wilson, solve crimes for the NYPD.

23: Last Man Standing - Season 3

After a terrible second season that lost all of the appeal of the first, season three of Last Man Standing fixed many of the previous season's problems and headed the series back in the right direction.

Last Man Standing is Tim Allen's return to television with the feel of a 90s sitcom. Tim Allen is always a funny guy, and even though the writing each week is rarely inventive or impressive, the show always gives me some good laughs each week. If you enjoy an older style of comedy, Last Man Standing might the show for you.
Watch if you like: Older sitcoms, Tim Allen,
-6.7/10

Plot Summary: "The series follows Mike Baxter, a senior executive and director of marketing for an outdoor sporting goods store chain based in Denver, Colorado, whose world is filled by women – especially at home with his wife and three daughters, one of whom is a single mother." (Wikipedia.com)

Please let me know what you think of my list thus far in the comments!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Elementary - Season 3 Review

Elementary, the American adaptation of the classic Sherlock Holmes character.

Plot Summary: In the aftermath of season 2’s finale, Sherlock, Watson, and Sherlock’s new apprentice, Kitty Wilson, solve crimes for the NYPD. 

Plot: 6.7/10- Like most crime procedurals, Elementary maintains a relative status quo with a mystery every week. The standard mystery episodes range from surprisingly inventive to predictable. Several of the earlier episodes featured intriguing concepts, although the resolutions were nothing groundbreaking.

On the other hand, the series featured a few episodes that affected the season as a whole. The first half introduced a new character and her story arc was resolved by the mid-season mark. The mystery involved in that episode is nothing special, but it is fairly well written. Thankfully, the season finale itself offered a surprisingly satisfying conclusion. Maybe the series will find a way to change the status quo without compromising the Sherlock-Watson dynamic next season, but that incredibly unlikely.

Characterization: 6.8/10- After the events of the previous season, Sherlock and Watson's relationship is different than the earlier seasons. Sherlock now has a new apprentice named Kitty Winter, a young woman with a dark past. Kitty is an interesting character with a dynamic different than Watson, which worked for the series. However, the obligatory plot convenience to bring Sherlock and Watson back together often felt contrived, which made Kitty’s existence feel irrelevant at times. Thankfully, her story is resolved in a satisfying manner.

Sherlock is essentially the same eccentric detective that you know from the previous season. He does change slightly throughout the season thanks to his friendship with Watson. Despite certain things happening, Joan Watson is also essentially the same, which is really not a bad thing.

Captain Gregson is sidelined for the majority of the season, and considering that his character was always the least interesting, that was probably for the best. Detective Bell is entertaining as always, as his role is slightly expanded.

Acting: 7.0/10- Jonny Lee Miller's portrayal of the legendary detective, as before, does not take any risks, yet he is still very entertaining to watch. 

After three seasons, he knows how to play the character, and he continues to do so with the same energy of before. One strange thing is that sometimes Miller sounded as though he was sick due to the nasally sound of his voice. I wonder if Miller is prone to colds or has allergies. Either way, this is not a slight on the actor, because it happens to everyone.

Lucy Liu continues to be one of the best adaptations of the Watson character to date, and her performance is as consistent as ever. The supporting cast is reliable, and, as expected from the genre, the one-off characters are all acted well enough.

Humor: 7.5/10- Sherlock's rudeness and lack of reverence of social standards continues to be the mainstay of the comedy, and it is just as funny as ever. 

Entertainment Value: 7.2/10- Thanks to the character dynamic, Elementary is a fun series to watch, even when the mysteries are predictable and unremarkable.

Overall: 6.7/10- Elementary is a consistent procedural that delivers exactly what you expect each season, and season 3 is no exception. It might not be groundbreaking, but it is at least entertaining.

Closing comments: As a whole, Elementary is an above average crime drama that I plan to continue watching until its final episodes; there is not much more to say.

Recommended for: Procedural fans, Sherlock fan,

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 Review

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the first part of the franchise’s finale that continues the story of Katniss Everdeen in the aftermath of the previous film. 

From the onset, the Mockingjay: Part 1 is strikingly different than the previous entries in the franchise. No longer are the Hunger Games themselves the central focus of the film. Now, the name of the game is propaganda in this war of rebellion with the capitol and rebel forces going back and forth with each attacking one another with ad campaigns trying to sway the opinion of the masses.

Surprisingly, at least for non-book readers, Part 1 is not an action film. Unlike usual, I knew next to nothing about the film going in, and yet the movie managed to make the propaganda aspect so entertaining that the lack of action was barely noticeable. For example, I watched the movie with my brother and a friend, both of whom are action junkies, especially when watching a movie in theaters, yet they both enjoyed the film as much as I did, and even more so than the previous Hunger Games movies.

Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi,

Release Date: November 21, 2014

Running Time: 123 minutes

MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Intriguing propaganda mind games, Satisfying conclusion for a "Part 1," Strong performances across the board, Surprisingly humorous, Great set design, Jennifer Lawrence is as reliable as ever, Shocking plot twists, 

The Bad: Supporting cast is sidelined, Smaller in scale,

Plot: 8.2/10- For a "Part 1" of a two part story, Mockingjay's plot progression was surprisingly fluid and natural. The movie began and ended without a moment feeling out of place. Even though not a lot was necessarily happening, it never became boring or uninteresting, which is even a problem that the previous films suffered from.

Knowing next to nothing of the source material, the several plot twists of the turns are very expected, with one being so shocking that a member of audience “D*NM!” when it happened.

As enjoyable as action movies are, seeing a more intellectual, behind-the-scenes, war going on is not something that you see in movies in the west, or blockbusters in general, and it is a refreshing change of pace. With that said, it is not the most compellingly told or meaningful story of rebellion, but it is well enough executed to be enjoyable. For example, this year's Captain America: The Winter Soldier was able to convey an even more profound political message, yet still be a thrilling action film. 

Being the first half of one story still presents some issues. As entertaining as the events of the film are, at times it felt like an episode of television, because it is still mostly setup for the finale. It is great setup, but it is still like the first two Acts of a larger narrative. Fortunately, the film manages to end in a fashion that is very satisfying, even if it teases the audience every time it cuts to black before the actual endings.

My only other minor issue is that the nature of the story makes the movie feel small in scale. It does not have the feeling of a large scale cinematic epic that Catching Fire had. Of course, this is probably due to this being the first part of a larger story, but it almost felt like high quality television at times.

Characterization: 7.9/10- Whereas previous films focus on a few different characters, Mockingjay: Part 1 is very Katniss centered story. Focusing the story around the main character provides for time to develop the main character. However, after watching a review, someone noted that Katniss lacks progression as a character, and that is kind of true to a point, although Katniss has never been a character that changes all that much, so it was not all that noticeable to me.
Most of the characters from the previous films, plus the new cast of characters, serve their purpose in the narrative, without being actively developed, which is a byproduct of the focus on Katniss. 

Action: 6.5/10- As previously stated, Part 1 is not an action film like the previous entries. This is not a bad thing, but if you were expecting an action blockbuster, this is not going to be it. With that said, there are a few quick action sequences, and Francis Lawrence does an excellent job at making them intense for the five minutes that they last. 

Acting: 8.5/10- Jennifer Lawrence is as reliable as ever as Katniss, even if some of her crying scenes are a bit odd.

Even though the supporting cast is sidelined story wise, the actors certainly make the most of their time with superb performances from almost everyone. All of the returning cast including Woody Harrelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and even Josh Hutcherson give fine performances. Of the new cast, Natalie Dormer as Cressida makes the best impression, even if her screentime is limited as well. 

Special effects: 7.5/10- With the exception of a few scenes, the film is not all that heavy in terms of special effects. However, the special effects that are present are barely noticeable thanks to the high quality CGI. The design of the sets and use of practical effects opposed to CGI and green screen is impression, which gives the film a better sense of reality. 

Soundtrack: 7.9/10- James Newton Howard's score does exactly what it is made to do, compliment the film and set the mood. It is not the most memorable, but it gets the job. The use of a certain song was also surprisingly effective and well utilized. 

Humor: 7.7/10- The film is not all that heavy on humor, but the humor that is present seems natural and well timed.

Entertainment Value: 8.3/10- From beginning to end, the film entertained me. It does not reach the level of audience involvement that other top films of the year have, but it is the type of film that you watch and do not regret paying the price of admission.

Overall: 8.0/10- Despite suffering from the shortcomings that a "Part 1" film entails, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 excels in most other aspects thanks to the superb performances, solid pacing, and managing to provide a satisfying cliffhanger, without feeling as though it is teasing the audience.

Closing comments: As an action film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 falls short, because that is not what it is trying to be, even if the trailers may suggest otherwise. However, as a propaganda war drama, it succeeds.

Recommended for: Anyone that liked the previous films,

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Mockingjay – Part 1: First Impression

I finally got to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the first part of the Hunger Games' final chapter. My short impression of the movie is that if you liked the previous Hunger Games movies, you should go see Mockingjay – Part 1, because Part 2 is probably going to be all kinds of awesome. Of course, Part 1 is not perfect, and there are some problems that I will discuss in my full review tomorrow. 

With that said, I watched the movie with my brother and a friend, both of whom hated the first Hunger Games, but did like Catching Fire to a degree, and they both enjoyed Mockingjay – Part 1 quite a bit. 

One funny thing that happened in the theater is that when a certain unexpected moment happen, someone in the audience shouted “D*MN!” which made everyone else in the theater laugh. Although, the same guy did start to sing during the movie for a minute, which was odd, but other than that, everyone was thankfully quiet.

On a side note, if you remember by post from last year, Mockingjay filmed in my hometown, and seeing the location in the film was cool, especially since nothing like that has ever happened where I live. If you watched the movie, I am referring to the scenes in and around the hospital in the early part of the movie. You can click here to see the picture that I took of the set.

Please check back tomorrow for my review of the film.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

New Hunger Games Trailer

Yes, I realize that I am late posting the trailer, but better late than never, right? For some reason, Mockingjay: Part 1 has been the only the movie with worthwhile news to post about over the past few weeks. Anyway, we finally have a full trailer with actual footage after the multiple teasers, and I am liking the new direction the series is taking. The movie looks like it is going to be a lot fun! Please comment below and let me know what you think of the trailer, and check back tomorrow for my review of the latest Doctor Who episode.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

First Katniss Poster for Mockingjay

Finally, a Katniss poster for the Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part 1 is here, kind of. Well, we do not get to actually see Jennifer Lawrence's face, but her winged armor looks awesome on this new poster. Please comment below and let me know. Also, this has been a really slow week in movie news, but there will be more movie news tomorrow.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

New Hunger Games: Mockingjay Posters

New posters for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay have been released featuring Gale, as well as several new characters. From what I understand, the posters are of a television propaganda group working for the resistance, but of course they are heavily armed. Since I do not want to know any spoilers, I have avoided further details. Among the new cast members includes Game of Thrones and Elementary actress, Natalie Dormer, who plays Cressida in the film. What do you think of the posters? Please comment below and check out the new trailer for another upcoming film that I posted about today by clicking here.

Some how Google created this gif from my pictures automatically! It is actually kind of cool!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Elementary (Sherlock Holmes) Season 1 Review.

Thoughts: Elementary is an American adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories that aired on CBS and features some large differences with the original source material, namely Watson being a woman. If you read my review for the pilot episode, which you can click here to read, I was extremely skeptical about said change and the series in general. To my surprise however, both Watson and the series were great. The majority of this review is spoiler-free and I will give due warning before any real spoilers are stated.
At first the series appeared to be just another procedural crime drama like other thousands of clichéd ones on network television today however, after several episodes it quickly separated its self of the pack with better characters and more likeable characters than most other shows and some good mysteries. While there were some mysteries that could not be solved from the audience's perspective, others were well written mysteries with just enough information given to solve it, although a few were kind of obvious. The first thing anyone watching the series should know is that Elementary is not a good adaptation in terms of being faithful to the source material. The problem is that the series does not resemble Sherlock Holmes compared to the source material (according to a knowledgeable friend) and only uses characters' names and a few aspects of said characters to make people want to watch it. While I have not read many of the stories (one to be exact and it was a very long time ago), I know someone who has read every Holmes story written by Doyle and I have read many posts by super-fan and fellow blogger Buddy2Blogger. Also I have always been a fan of many Sherlock adaptation and I have seen the recent films, BBC's Sherlock, many of the old Bail Rathbone films and a few other. However, I do plan to read "A Study in Scarlett" at some point later this year whenever I have the time.
Because this is a review of the series as a whole, any statements made are referring to combination of all episodes, for example Jonny Lee Miller's performance was excellent for the most part, yet there were a few episodes where he was not on his A-game. Now a look at the characters:

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes: Miller's take on the character has a few of the same qualities as the many previous incarnations of the Great Detective and he brings something new to the table. His mannerisms are probably the best aspect of his performance. Miller is a lot of fun to watch as the, he delivers his dialogue with wit and often good comedic timing during some scenes. His chemistry with Lucy Liu as Watson is great and it is refreshing to see a non-romantic relationship between a man and woman, hopefully it will stay that way. A big topic of the show is how Sherlock is a recovering drug addict and Watson is his "sober companion" for several months. My biggest problem with his portrayal is not necessarily Miller's fault as it is the writers'; Holmes is a womanizer and with the except of the deceased Irene Adler, he is only interested in the physical aspect of relationships. Fortunately this is only covered to much extent in the a few episodes, particularly the pilot and "The Deductionist". Something else that will probably annoy fans is that Holmes becomes emotionally compromised, which interferes with his deduction abilities, contrary to the source material.

Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson: Yes, I know that I said making Watson a woman was a terrible idea but it actually turned out surprising well. She was one of the best parts of the series. Keeping somewhat to the source material, Joan Watson is former surgeon who became a "sober companion" for reasons later explained as the series progressed. Unlike many of the Watsons that have been portrayed in other mediums, Liu's version is much more useful and becomes a capable detective later in the series. Her banter with Holmes is often quite humorous and Miller is usually at his best when acting off of Liu.

Aidan Quinn as Captain Tobias "Toby" Gregson: Typically in most Sherlock Holmes adaptation Inspector Lestrade works with Holmes as his conduit to the law, in this version however, Aidan Quinn as Captain Gregson plays in a similar role. Gregson has a history with Holmes when the two were back in Scotland Yard and Holmes was working as a consultant. Quinn gives a solid performance as a typical New York cop. Captain Gregson is loosely based on a character mentioned in "A Study in Scarlett" (thanks Buddy2Blogger for the info).

Jon Michael Hill as Detective Marcus Bell: Bell is Gregson's assistant and often conflicts with Sherlock's theories, especially early on in the series. While there are a few episodes were he is given some character development, Detective Bell is mostly a background character. Bell is not a character from the Sherlock Holmes cannon, however he is named after Joseph Bell, who is credited as inspiring the character of Sherlock Holmes (thanks Buddy2Blogger again for the info).

Natalie Dormer as Irene Adler: As it is revealed early on in the series, Irene was murdered by the mysterious Professor M and is only shown in flashbacks.

There are two main opinions of Elementary. 1: The fan for the most part, absolutely hate it or at least dislike it. 2: Many of the critics opinion ranges from good to fantastic, but in general critics the reviews are positive. Being a critic, I believe the show to be very good and definitely worth a watch and among the scripted show I watch on network TV, it is the best. Also the series is often in the Top 10 most viewed shows every week and it has already been renewed for another season.


Overall: 8.2/10- As with any TV series, not all episodes are fantastic, more often than not however, Elementary is an excellent mystery series with good use of humor and entertaining characters.

Closing comments: Basically, if you are a fan of the source material you will probably dislike it, however I recommend you give it a shot if you are the least bit interested and if you are not a fan or just enjoy good TV it is definitely worth watching.

Thank to Buddy2Blogger for answering my questions about the Sherlock Holmes source material. If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan I recommend checking out his blog, just be careful of spoilers in his recent Elementary reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Elementary Pilot Review.

I finally got around to watching Elementary. As you have probably read in my previous post about Elementary, I was skeptical yet optimistic. Particularly about Lucy Liu as Watson, however she was just fine in the role. The problems are with the writing, it was basic homicide crime drama, which I will touch upon later. Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock was solid, he played the crazy "know-it-all", fun to watch type well, but very similar to Robert Downy Jr., and Benedict Cumberbatch. Miller and Liu played off each other well and had a good presence on screen. The episode introduced the characters and gave enough back-story, yet left some to be revealed in later episodes. It was also entertaining to watch for the most part. Overall the series reminded me of 1/3 classic Sherlock, 1/3 Unforgettable (another crime drama, which I only watched briefly), and standard homicide drama. This is Elementary's main issue; from the other previews it does not seem that it will be much different in the coming episodes. (Note: I know someone very well that I consider to be a Sherlock Holmes expert, who has read every story and has seen just about every TV series and film, therefore some of the opinions about this version compared to the original is from his input.) Sherlock Holmes is not just about solving basic homicides there is much more, which the recent Robert Downy Jr. films and Benedict Cumberbatch TV series has captured very well. There needs to be a variety of mysteries, not just standard "Crime of the Week" type series, like half the shows on network TV. Also it could even change the names of the characters and remove a few references and no one would know that it was Sherlock Holmes, although that is a little over exaggerated of an example. Despite these problems, the episode itself was actually good and overall entertaining. The mystery was solid, yet it could not entirely be solved by the audience with the evidence given. While I am not sure if I will continue reviewing each episode of the series but I will definitely continue watching the series. Have you seen the new series? Please comment below with your thoughts about the series.


Overall: 7.3/10- While Elementary brings little new to the normal crime drama, it is a fun rendition of the classic detective.

Note: Elementary is rated "TV 14" and does contain violence and other content. 



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New Sherlock Series: Elementary.

 

Tonight is the premiere of the new America Sherlock Holmes TV series, Elementary. While it will be very difficult to top the BBC Sherlock TV series or the Robert Downy Jr. movies, I hope Elementary will be good. Although, I have low expectations for the series, especially since Dr. Watson is being played by Lucy Liu, which is a large change from the original character. I have yet to actually finish a Sherlock Holmes story, but I very much enjoy many of the Holmes' many film and TV adaptations, and I always enjoy a good mystery. Do you plan to watch the series? It premieres tonight on CBS. Also be sure to check out my Top 25 Lord of the Rings character list that I posted today. Also be sure to check out my two earlier posts today, Top 25 Lord of the Rings Characters. and Avengers Have Arrived!

 

 

 

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