TV Review - Dollhouse (S1, E8)

Needs

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN UNSPOILED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS DURING EACH EPISODE, READ MY OVERALL REVIEW OF THE SHOW, WHICH WILL BE POSTED SOON

So ask and you shall receive. We finally get a full episode of a few of the dolls, namely Echo, November, Sierra, and Victor, in the personalities they entered the dollhouse with. Unfortunately they do not have any of their memories, and though this kept the viewer from learning too much about them, we did get to learn what was driving these four.

The story line breaks down like this: because many of the dolls are “misbehaving” something must be down to quell their evolution process. Victor is having “man reactions,” Echo has been remembering things from engagements, and now because of their exposure to that drug in the previous episode, all are showing similar signs of both remembering and recognizing things they should not.

Though this episode revolves around the games that DeWitt and the other members of the dollhouse are playing with the dolls, it still manages to be quite poignant. Think about it. These people have been wiped clean of their memories of who they are, but there are still memories so intense and horrible that have led them to this point that it is ingrained inside of their being. But once it is all done I don’t know what I actually feel worse about. On the one hand there are those traumatic events that they have to get past, but once they do fulfill what they need to they will become the mindless dolls that they are supposed to be.

But there is one thing I have to know. DeWitt says that everyone volunteered to become a doll to escape the life they had (in this episode she tells Caroline: “You wanted to forget”), but in actuality no one really knows but her if this is true or not. Take Sierra’s character, when she confronts the man who put her in the dollhouse we learn that he paid to put her there. That doesn’t sound like much of a decision on her part to me. So who knows how else the other characters actually came to be there.

Final Grade: A

Quote(s) of the Episode:

Caroline - "Hey, I woke up in a five-star floor coffin just like you, pal."

Topher - "We’re good people. Nice people. We help people become better people by giving them what they need. I don’t usually do the sales pitch."

TV Review - Dollhouse (S1, E7)

Hey guys, sorry for the delay between the previous posted reviews of Dollhouse episodes and these, but I have been busy getting back into the swing of things at school. Plus, I have discovered the beauty that is netflix (especially the instant queue on the XBOX 360). But I am going to try to get these out ASAP. Okay, here we go:

Echoes

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN UNSPOILED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS DURING EACH EPISODE, READ MY OVERALL REVIEW OF THE SHOW, WHICH WILL BE POSTED SOON

One of the first things I wondered when this series started was who Echo was really, and with this episode I finally got what I wished for. Well, to an extent. We finally know a little bit about who Caroline was, but honestly, I have this tiny nagging that I wish she were someone else. It was just that she seemed so one dimensional with her “save the animals, save the world” mindset. Now, I have nothing against saving the animals, and I understand that this part of Caroline’s life is what is important to this story line, I jut wished she had a few more notes to play. Can’t she go tell a few more sorority girls to get some STDs or something? But I am sure that we will learn more about her down the road.

Now I know that this was a pretty serious episode for Caroline’s character and learning a lot about the Dollhouse, but a lot of that was lost on me the first time around because I was just having way too much fun with this episode full of River-like characters (now I know what you are thinking. Lauren sure thinks about River a lot. But Firefly and Serenity are at the top of my favorite lists, both of which were also created by Whedon, so you try and not make the comparison. And she is one of my favorite characters in a work of fiction, so whatever). Plus, it reminded me a lot of a similar episode of Bones where they were quarantined in the lab and started acting like they were drugged. (Or at least Booth did… the details are a little fuzzy). This enjoyment of the effects is also allowing me to move past the fact that I don’t actually quite understand the science behind why the actives aren’t being affected in quite the same way.

However, one question still remains for me. If Caroline was made into a doll because of her knowledge of the Rossum Corporation and the testing they were doing, is she still going to know this after her five years of service? Or maybe that was not the reason after all. Maybe she really did become one so she could forget. Also in this scene, DeWitt mentions “doing this dance” for 2 years (which also makes me wonder what exactly Caroline was doing for those 2 years. Maybe just running…), or something to that extent, so I have trouble believing that she would try to track Caroline down for that long because she fit the profile of someone willing to become a doll.

Final Grade: A-

PS – I am pretty sure I am missing something because Echo was aptly named Alice for this episode, but unfortunately I am not familiar enough to Alice in Wonderland to grasp the full meaning of this choice. Cuz I am seriously doubting that it was random.

PPS – Do we ever see that guy again who was inducted into the dollhouse at the end of the episode? Maybe he was put in a different house. It’s just weird that he becomes a doll (I am assuming) and then he is never seen again.

Quote of the Episode - DeWitt: "My offer is this. Your life for your life."

Suggestion Box (Aug. 31 - Sept. 6)

Wet Game Demo – If you like the look of Quentin Taranino’s films then you should really check out this game inspired by his work. The demo lets you see a little of what’s in store in the full game, and can be downloaded now on XBOX Live.

Assassin’s Creed 2 Gameplay Trailer – For those who have played the previous game in the series, then nothing will be too new. However, there are a few moves that you may not have seen before. Nothing too exciting, but its still nice to see how the protagonist is going to move through the world. Check it out here.

The Wolfman Trailer - I remember first seeing an image of the face of the wolfman in Entertainment Weekly a year and a half ago or so, and with that one image I got really excited for the film to come. Unfortunately nothing has really come out since then, so my attention waned to other things. Well, now the trailer has finally been released, and its time to get excited again. Check it out here.

Youth in Revolt Trailer – When Michael Cera has trouble getting the girl of his dreams, who does he go to for help? A second Michael Cera. Check it out here.

Random Trailers - If you haven’t seen anything about these films yet, new trailers have been released for The Box, and The Road. Check them out here. (Box) (Road). ALSO, a featurette has been released about Whip it! Check it out here. And if you haven’t seen the trailer for that yet you should check that out as well.

Chuck – Some exciting news for the Chuck fan, well me, is that Kristin Kreuk from Smallville, and Brandon Routh of Superman Returns are joining the cast of Chuck. However, we still have a while to wait and see this because Chuck isn’t returning until March. Lame. But for those of you who haven’t seen the show yet, you have a lot of time to catch up with the previous two seasons. Do it now.

Gaming Review - Wanted: Weapons of Fate

Wanted: Weapons of Fate does little more to expand on a film-based game, and suffers greatly because of it.

The main problem with this game is that the story is pretty weak. In the beginning of the game Wesley finds out that his mom was an assassin too, and she was killed shortly after his birth. As the game progresses you play as both Wesley and Cross, Wesley’s father, and the story behind Wesley’s mother’s death slowly reveals itself. Though this is a promising premise, it’s not really fleshed out strongly enough, and personally, it weakened a lot of the key plot points in the film. And finally, this mystery can only last so long, making this game really, really short.

Though a lot of games can rise above their weaker story, Wanted was incapable of doing so, especially considering the repetitive, and superhuman nature of a lot of the villains. In the first couple of acts the police and thugs you shoot through are realistic because they take two or three bullets and are down, but as the game progressed they seem to be able to take a freakish amount of gunshots. I understand that towards the end some of the characters are similar to Wesley in the fact that they can react quickly to bullets, which comes off visually a lot like the Matrix, and though this is really obnoxious, it at least has some believable explanation behind it (in this world). What I don’t understand is why shotguns always seem to give the person wielding it a higher bullet intake before they finally fall to the ground. Apparently shotguns and guns mounted with flashlights are the same as shields. On a similar note, there are way too many baddies that feel the need to run at you with knives, screaming to warn of their coming attack. If this had happened only a few times I wouldn’t have thought too much of it, however, it has to happen at least 20, making it one of the most obnoxious parts of the game. And finally, the boss battles are hardly anything to worry about because, not only are they ridiculously easy, the patterns behind their movements are so apparent that there is little challenge at all.

Though my biggest complaints are of the villains themselves, there are a few other things that I could have done without. The first is of the couple of sections involving the mounted gun, which must have been placed in solely to mix up the action. I commend them for the attempt, but I did not like these parts at all. On a different note, my other complaint is that I didn’t feel as challenged as I should have because I always had more than enough bullets to move around the world without panic. Especially considering that not only do the baddies drop tons of ammo once they die, but it is lying around all over the place as well.

I know it may seem like I hate a lot of this game, but there are a few things that I do actually really like, most of which is in relation to the animation. For one thing, the characters are created really nicely and strongly resembled the actors they are supposed to be, both in game and in the cut scenes. And not only do they look nice, but the way the playable characters move in the world is really amazing, especially in concern to the cover system. Speaking of this, a lot of the bonus content you pick up throughout the game is actually pretty interesting, and I really liked getting to see the short clip of the motion capture session of the obstacle course like area used to create Wesley and Cross’s movement from cover to cover in the world. And finally, one thing that I did really like was the few slow motion moments in the game. Though they don’t really recreate the feeling of what it is like to be one of these assassins, they did look really cool.

Though Wanted: Weapons of Fate seemed to have a lot of potential as it was being made, in the end it was disappointing, leaning too heavily on the success of the movie instead of a creating a strong game that can stand on its own.

Final Grade: 6.0

Now Playing Review - Gamer

There is no doubt in my mind as to who Gamer is made for, and though I wish people would finally acknowledge that girls like both video games and action films, I will refrain from stewing on the number of boobs I had blown up in my face for the entirety of this film. Especially considering that, even with all these little awkward moments, Gamer is still an awesome movie.

Gamer takes place in the near future, where the video gaming world has made huge advances. Two games that have taken the forefront across the globe are Society, a more mature cousin to the Playstation Home (found on the PS3 today) where people can meet with the “avatars” of other players from around the world to communicate, dance, and do pretty much whatever else they want, and Slayer, a more violent MMO (massively multiplayer online) where players shoot their way to the finish line. However, these aren’t just any video games; instead, the avatars are actually real people being controlled by other players. Kable (Gerard Butler) is one such avatar in Slayers, fighting to win his 30^th match, the prize of which is being released from death row.

As I said before, Gamer depicts a very pessimistic view of man, especially in concern to our treatment of power, violence, and sex. Marketing towards what is in our human nature, both Slayers and Society are created so that people can act on these things without feeling any shame, regret, or consequences for their actions. If you want, you can become whomever you want in Society, much like what the Internet allows people to do now. And with Slayers, people can sign in, take control of a real inmate as they shoot their way towards the end of the level, amassing kill points for riddling real people with bullets, and therefore, killing real people in a guilt free situation. They volunteered to take part in this, after all.

Because this film takes place in three different “worlds”: Society, Slayers, and the real world, three different shooting styles are chosen to give a different look and feel to each one. Not to say that the real world was boring, far from it actually, but Society and Slayers were taken to more extremes. Of the three, my least favorite was Society because of its more skewed and frantic camera work, but it mirrors the heightened situation and idea that there are no limitations to what the players can do, so no harm done. And then Slayers took its look from basically any great action sequence in films, with slow motion sections, very noticeable bullets flying everywhere, explosions going off all around, and an extreme amount of gore. However, what I really appreciated was how these three styles weave in and out of each other, especially when the lines between the worlds are blurred as the plot moves in and out of them.

When this movie is broken down, people are not depicted in the best light. Actually, the characters filling the real world are much more grotesque than those that fill the other worlds, especially considering they are pulling the strings. However, though there is a lot of truth to the observations being made, the film never becomes too preachy about what people are capable of without limitations, but instead, remains a great action film with a really solid plot and amazing acting (especially Michael C. Hall’s Ken Castle, the master mind of it all). In other words, go see it.

Final Grade: A

Rental Review - Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical is a hilarious “examination” of the effects marijuana has on the youth of America in the 1930s, in musical form.

Prepare to have your minds blown, because here comes some exposition of epic proportions (preempted by a little reaction of my own): After watching Reefer Madness I was a little confused about the accuracy of the story. Okay, so I knew there weren’t kids going crazy, humping chairs and killing people because of marijuana; obviously, it’s majorly exaggerated, but I wanted to know if there was any hint of truth to the fear behind the plot. So here goes: In 1936, a film was created to inform parents about the horrific danger threatening the youth of America, that threat being marijuana. Soon after, it was reedited and distributed as an exploitation film. The plot of this film was about the depths to which high schoolers will fall after becoming addicted to the drug, including murder, rape, etc.

If only the creators of that film could see all that it inspired… Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical does everything in its power to mock the fears presented in this film and make them fun and exciting, while actually creating pretty strong commentary on the society of the 1930s in the process.

Meet Jimmy Harper (Christian Campbell) and Mary Lane (Kristen Bell), the tragic young lovers of this story, representing the innocence of the generation. At the beginning of the film, their puppy love springs to life with songs like “Romeo and Juliet,” which is full of lines about the beauty of Shakespeare’s words, as well as their hopeful outlook of the long lives Romeo and Juliet will have together, surrounded by children and friends. With this outlook, you know things are going to go wrong for these two. Sure enough, Jimmy gets hooked on the reefer and would much rather spend his time singing about brownies as Mary sits alone in her church pew, regretting lying to a stranger about the seat next to her being taken.

Though this innocence is funny enough on its own, it is paralleled beautifully by the naiveté of the parents as they are shown this tragic tail at an informative meeting. A woman faints, a man is called a communist, and as a viewer you just can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous this all seems in today’s society, especially considering that many are fighting to legalize the drug. Though not everyone is for this, we at least have moved past the idea that it has the capability of turning kids into zombies, hooligans and whores.

And one last thing, at first I wasn’t sure how to take the use of color, vs black and white footage. What I was debating was whether or not I agreed with the sections of the films that used color (the educational film of Jimmy and Mary’s tragic tale), vs those that did not (the parents meeting). However, I believe that it was an artistic choice to emphasize the black and white nature that the people of the 30s must have looked at subject matter like this, vs. the ridiculous and heightened “reality” of the world hooked on marijuana. So though I was kind of iffy about it at first, I am actually glad they chose to present the film this way.

If you like musicals and/or satires, or just want to watch something about marijuana, then Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical is for you.

Final Grade: B

Suggestion Box (Aug. 24 - 30)

The Legend of Neil: Episode 3 - A new episode has been released this week, and its a musical! Check it out here.

The Guild: Season 3 Premiere - Right now you can only get it on XBOX Live if you are a gold member, but it should be available to silver members, as well as on the internet, soon.

Capitalism: A Love Story trailer - The new Michael Moore documentary taking our economical system as its subject. Check it out here.

The Men Who Stare at Goats trailer - George Clooney is a "Jedi warrior." Got you interested, right? Check it out here.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant trailer - I never thought I would see John C. Reilly as a vampire, but this role seems right up his alley. Check it out here.