The Showtime series Dexter is based on none other than the book series, the first being Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Featuring stars such as Michael C. Hall as the serial killing Dexter; Jennifer Carpenter as Dexter’s sister Debra; Julie Benz as the softhearted, caring woman in Dexter’s life who is completely clueless into his dark secret; and the rest of the cast who brings to life the characters from Jeff Lindsay’s novels.
The first season portrays the first book almost perfectly, though the endings differ. The book is excellent (read my review on the book here) and the television series definitely does it justice. Now in its fourth season, Dexter continues to be a big hit.
Dexter Morgan is a blood-splatter analyst working for the Miami Police Department. He was adopted by the Morgan family when he was just a child, after being found at a horrific crime scene by Harry Morgan. Debra Morgan also works for the Miami P.D. and we see her starting out working in the Vice and Narcotics Unit, but seeking a promotion for higher work. Rita Bennett is Dexter’s girlfriend who has her own dark past: her ex-husband was very abusive towards her and her children, and she finds comfort in Dexter: he doesn’t want to rush into their physical relationship either. Each of the secondary characters have their own back-stories that we see develop throughout each episode.
From episode one, Dexter will have you hooked. If you have a weak stomach, the opening credits will make you woozy. It is very gory and isn’t censored by any means, so it’s definitely not a show to watch with your kids. But it is a show that you can have a marathon with on any day.
What does one do to create hype on a movie filmed for only 15,000 dollars? They release it in less than fifteen theaters, of course. By playing the trailer on MTV (which doesn’t seem like it’s really music television anymore) and asking the public to “demand it” in theaters near them, Paranormal Activity seemed like the buzz everywhere. The hype didn’t disappoint in this incredible movie.
When Katie and her boyfriend Micah move into a new home, Katie finally reveals that ever since she was a child, she had believed that a ghost was haunting her. Micah doesn’t think it’s too big of a deal, except for the fact that she kept it from him for so long. When they get settled into their new house, the mysterious activity flares up, and Micah continuously dismisses it until Katie continuously expresses concerns. When they are informed that the entity is a demon- not a ghost, Micah continues to reject Katie’s fears- and provokes the demon entity even more.
The DVD versions come with an alternate ending, which was suggested by Stephen Spielberg. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I highly suggest it. It was great in the theater, and at home I’m sure it will be even scarier…you might notice similarities between things happening in the movie and in your own life…maybe you’ll have a friendly visitor too. Who knows? The movie just might provoke them enough to show themselves.
Ah, the History Channel: The home of many programs that capture our attention and continue to awe us all. Known for both historical fact and historical inaccuracies, the History Channel doesn’t necessarily disappoint. One show in particular, Pawn Stars, caught my attention a few months ago, and I continue to watch on a regular basis. The show premiered in July of 2009, and features a family-owned pawn shop in Las Vegas. Richard “Old Man” Harrison is the head of the operation, followed by his son, Rick Harrison, and Rick’s son, Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison. Corey’s friend Austin “Chumlee” Russel also works at the shop, and appears in most episodes.
I’m not sure what is most attractive about the show- the hilarity of watching this family work together under one roof, or the impressive items that they see every day and feature on the show, or even the bits of trivia during the commercial break. The first season ended in September, and the second season began in late-November.
Each episode features a variety of items which people are looking to pawn or sell. Some items are artifacts, and others are fakes or replicas which their owners believe to be real. Other items are some of the most random- a big rig truck, guitars claimed to have been played around a famous person, a hot air balloon, to name only a few.
The interaction between each person adds to the fun and uniqueness of the show. Chumlee is known for not being very bright, but is rather comedic. Corey describes him by saying “He’s the village idiot, but he’s my village idiot”. Corey often makes deals and buys from people who have outrageous items- such as the hot air balloon. His father had already had him on a limit of 10,000 dollars prior to the hot air balloon incident, but that didn’t stop Corey from buying it for 38,000 dollars.
The items that come into the shop have personalities of their own, and if it is unknown what the real value is, Rick will often call in an expert to check it out. It only took a few episodes to know who Rick would be calling in to check out an item. It’s definitely a show to check out, so if you see any repeat episodes on, you might just like it.
Two shows which captured my attention this fall season of shows were V and FlashForward. V is based on the original show which premiered in the 1980s. The planet Earth is invaded by a species of aliens (the V) which claim to come in peace and mean no harm. They offer plenty of great deals to the world- universal healthcare, miracle working abilities, and world leaders are questioning of the trust they should place in these aliens- who are not at all stereotypical. They are beautiful and hard to mistrust- but there are a few people who are more cautious than the world leaders. The few humans and traitor-aliens know that they can trust no one anymore, and have to continue their anti-V movement while staying under the radar.
FlashForward is an original series that aired during the same week in September as V, however FlashForward is slightly based on the 1999 novel Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer. The premise is that the entire world blacked out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, and saw their future. It turned into a catastrophe because not only did everything stop for over 2 minutes, but everything stopped exactly where it was, causing many accidents and deaths. When there is proof that the blackout did not affect the entire world, but there are a few accounts of people who were awake and moving during it. An investigation begins by a team of FBI investigators in LA, who set up a site on the internet so people can compile their FlashForwards. What everyone in the team sees in their flash forward provides multiple side-stories and an insight to their personal lives.
NCIS: Los Angeles is the spin-off series of NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Services), which was a spin-off JAG. The first season began in September, and was the second-most watched show of the week, trailing behind the original NCIS. Like NCIS, the show centers around the main characters and gives an insight into their lives, while providing a look at the procedural aspects of NCIS, only in Los Angeles. Differing from NCIS though, is the characters’ personalities which still bring a comedic side to the show. All of the actors have certain chemistry that go well together. The characters have different personalities from the original NCIS, and we get an inside look into the psychological aspects of the criminal world and the world of the agents themselves. The episodes air on Tuesday nights at 9 o’clock, but I think it’s on a break for the holiday season.
This show is really enjoyable, and if you like NCIS, you’ll most likely like this spin-off. I’m a big fan of NCIS, and this one as well. The characters capture your attention and bring to life this world within our own, and touch on subjects that are very real to us all, and we often see in our everyday lives.
I know it’s already been a month since New Moon appeared in theaters, and it feels like it’s been so much longer. There was a lot of controversy about this movie, mainly because so many young girls who haven’t even hit their teens have become screaming, fanatical so-called “fans”. The reason I am so passionate about this topic, especially at the moment, is because I was a fan of the books before they became popular. Yes, before. When the movie first became super-popular, it wasn’t too bad. Fans of the books knew about it, and many people were upset when Robert Pattinson was cast as the main character, vampire Edward. Then suddenly, he was seen as this hunky guy that young girls fell in love with.
I’m not saying he’s a bad actor- he’s not. But these girls are so young (and their moms old- no offense) to be going so insane over him. And the movies? Not that great. Especially for someone who has read the books, they are disappointing. I touched more on this in the first part of my review.
Entertainment Weekly was producing so many articles a week (ahem, a day) about this, that that alone got people irked. Especially people who were not fans of the series- books and/or movies. One of the most debated things was about whether or not these young girls should be so obsessed with something that is fictional. People on one side stated it was unhealthy and not good for them to be exposed to a role model (main character, Bella) who was a “bad” role model. If these girls only see the movies, yeah Bella is a terrible role model. The movie portrays her in a way that isn’t healthy for young girls to be looking up to. In the books, even her character gets more developed than in the movies; it is written in her POV, after all.
However, I must say to these people: IT’S FICTION. If parents (especially those Twi-moms) are allowing and encouraging their daughters to look up to characters who are fictional, they need to take a look at their parenting skills. It’s a parent’s job to provide good role models in their daughter’s lives, not an author of a fictional vampire story. These girls should not be looking to fictional characters for a role model. Even the book-Bella isn’t too bad of a role model, if you actually take the time to read the books.
And for the record, many of the younger-not-yet-teenage fans shouldn’t even be reading these books. They have not reached the maturity level to fully understand and appreciate the story. Yes, it’s great that it’s getting younger people to read. But there are TONS of great books out there that their parents should be providing and encouraging them to read. The series has gotten way too blown out of proportion, and it’s annoying to someone like me, who actually enjoyed the books, and only watches the movies for a way to escape for awhile in comedic fluffiness.
Returning once again to the screen in this second adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling saga, the sparkling vegetarian vampire coven captures our attention once again. The new director, Chris Weitz, focused on creating a visually stunning and impressive setting, veering away from the darker scenes Catherine Hardwicke brought us only a year ago.
Obviously geared towards the “Twi-hard” fans, it has been claimed to be the new Harry Potter. However, unlike the first 3 HP movies, New Moon does not follow the book well. Last year’s Twilight did not do the book justice either. For those fans who have read the book, the blanks and details are easily filled in, while viewers who have not read the book are left confused and unimpressed.
The actors did excellently at portraying the characters and bringing to life what one can only imagine. The CGI graphics created terrifying wolves that looked as realistic as an oversized wolf can look. Disappointing was the fact that nearly the entire movie was only Jacob and Bella; no development of other characters, which Twilight also lacked, being only the characters of Edward and Bella practically the entire movie.
Viewers don’t see goofball Emmett, serious Jasper, pigheaded Rosalie, pixie-like Alice, compassionate Carlisle, or motherly Esme. Bella’s relationship with her father Charlie is also sorely lacking. We don’t hear about the pasts of the vampire coven, nor do we hear about the Quiluete legends around a campfire (or any legends, anywhere in the movie). The movie is pure fluff.
The ending “fight” scene with the Volturi seemed rushed, and the Volturi is also lacking in development. For the five minutes we see Michael Sheen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Dakota Fanning, Cameron Bright, Charlie Bewley, Daniel Cudmore, Christopher Heyerdahl, and Noot Seear, we see that each of them would have played excellent vampire villains. The wolf-pack and all their attributes are not elaborated on at all. And where was that memorable scene with Edward reading Jacob’s mind, and seeing how much he hurt Bella?
The movie lacked important information that is relevant in future segments, a problem which I also saw occurring in Twilight. Overall, it was good entertainment and fluff, with rushed drama that did not capture Stephenie Meyer’s vampire-world, and it is needless to say there are much better vampire books out there. However, it is pure fantasy, so authors can do with it what they want.
Check back in the next few days for part two of my New Moon Review.
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