Reviews
What’s funny about Being Human is that underneath all the blood, sex, violence and angst, there always lives a message with heart. It’s what I keep referring to as those “Hallmark moments” in every episode. While they can sometimes be sappy, the message here is pretty sound and perfectly clear. “You never know what you’re capable of until you’re driven to…
I’m not the first or even the only one to think that Season 2 of The Walking Dead has been more than a little…slow. There was even an internet meme going around when the show came back last week, stating: “Missed the last six episodes of The Walking Dead? Missed nothing!” And I had to agree. The “previously on The Walking Dead” segment…
This week’s episode of Fringe, “A Better Human Being,” reminds me of every relationship I’ve ever been in. Namely, a guy suddenly discovers he likes me, then friends, family and a team of scientists show up to convince him he’s been brainwashed. It generally ends badly, just like this episode. While Walter tries to figure out why Olivia suddenly…
Remember when Rebekah informed Elena that, contrary to popular belief, not everything is about her? The look on Elena’s face said it all: “Hello, it’s called The Elena Diaries!” I’ve been an Elena fan from way back, because, while she’s frequently the archetypal damsel in distress, she’s also brave, compassionate, loyal and always…
In Konami’s NeverDead, your arms come off, but you can still use them, and decapitation provides excellent scouting possibilities. You’re cursed with immortality and forced to live with regret over past mistakes and all your personal flaws. Wow, what a great premise for a game! I want to love it because it seems like such a big win on the mechanics and story…
It’s been well over a year since Kevin Keller debuted in Veronica #202, and the popularity of Riverdale’s new golden boy shows no signs of slowing down. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to confess that I have two signed Kevin Keller prints hanging on the wall of FBOTU HQ. I walk by them every day and smile at the sheer impossibility and audacity…
“Addicted to Love” is a great episode to show the debauchery that often comes with addiction, but perhaps it should have been called “Addicted to Carnal Gratification.” Season promos promised we’d see the characters give in to their frightening temptations, and boy do they finally deliver. Skin lovers rejoice; there is major nakedness in this episode of Being…
Daniel Radcliffe gets the Potter scared out of him by Hammer Studios and The Woman In Black. And you will, too. WARNING: MAY CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS! Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is a young widower still shaken up over the death of his wife four years earlier while giving birth to their son Joseph. In order to support his struggling family and save his job at a law firm,…
With no tremendous cliffhanger last week, I spent this week of anticipation not torturing myself with “what if” scenarios, but instead revisiting the entertainment of the first three episodes. From this, I discovered two things about Sally: there are some damned witty one-liners from our favorite ghost girl, and the Being Human episode soundtracks are very much like…
Wow. Where do I begin? Before I dissect all the twisted family dynamics at play in “Bringing Out the Dead,” this week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries, let me share one quick non-sequiter thought. WARNING: Spoilers! My favorite professor in college used to say, “All metaphors break down at some point.” For the vampire=gay metaphor, it usually…
Waiting a week for a new Being Human episode is like Aidan trying to survive on bagged blood. It’s painful waiting for your next fix, and any substitute you find just leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. I now understand why addictions can be so incapacitating. Episode 3, “All Out Of Blood,” begins, as all BH episodes do, with a thoughtful voice-over talking about…
A pale woman in a vinyl catsuit opened fire indiscriminately today. Among the casualties were Plot and Consistency. She should be considered armed and extremely British. WARNING: MAY CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS! (ALSO, BANG BANG! SLICE SLICE!) Shortly after the events of Underworld: Evolution, vampire warrior Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and her vampire/werewolf hybrid lover…
In last week’s Fringe discussion, we looked at the complex, but rewarding double duality (quadrality?) of two universes we thought we knew suddenly changing thanks to a new timeline for each. Our knowledge of each of the old universes is key to understanding and enjoying the twists of the revamped timeline. This week, we’re bringing in the discussion to a more intimate…
Having been a devoted fan of the original BBC supernatural drama Being Human, I was, let’s say, less than twitterpated when Syfy announced a US adaptation. After the butcher job MTV committed with Skins, I almost refused to tune in. Man, I’m glad I changed my mind. The US version uses the original series as a foundation and starting point, but their storylines,…
Let me tell you a little something about the brilliance of Fringe. It’s audacious, really, even for a science fiction show, to essentially “erase” the major events of past seasons, then re-enact them, as if for the first time. Here’s the brilliant part, though. They do it, and not only does it work in terms of plot and character integrity, but each…
The subject doesn’t come up very often here on FBOTU, but I have to confess, there was a time when I was a total Disney queen. My home was adorned in Disney art; I attended opening night screenings at Disney’s El Capitan theater for every new release; I was an annual passholder at Disneyland. I even convinced a cute cast member to give me a private Jungle Cruise…
