Supernatural Season (GR)8

So, it's been a long, long while since I last reviewed something. I haven't forgotten, but I have been suckerpunched (I would love to do a review on that movie, as well) by college work. Because college is evil. That's a different story for another time (and a different blog), though.

When most students get stressed, they look like this.

When I get stressed, I look like this.

Seriously, I'm thinking about trying to make an update once a week. Impossible, you say? Well, I'll have you know that my Fridays are now obnoxiously free, so I just might be able to get the mojo flowing regularly (no one should ever say that aloud in a public place, ever, just so you know).

Anyway, on to the review!

Supernatural has long been something I've loved. From the first random episode I saw on TV years ago to the actual adventure (heartache, misery, depression) of watching the entire series, it has been something I've never regretted getting hooked on.

However, I will admit, despite my fangirlism of the show, that Supernatural took a nosedive after season 5. After all, what can you possibly follow-up the Apocalypse with? It was like sending up a common carny to do somersaults after a Cirque Du Soleil performance. You just don't do that.

After much deliberating with myself about simply quitting after season 5, I decided to trudge on. Surely it had to get better.

(WARNING: SPOILERS IMMINENT)

The final episode of season 7 is when I saw the first spark of hope in that dark, dark place.

(I will say this right now, however: I am two episodes behind because holidays have a habit of being time-consuming, and also, it has been quite a while since I first started watching this season. With that in mind, please proceed.)

Season 8 opened, like most SPN (which means Supernatural - keep up with me here) episodes, with a mystery. Dean stumbling along, clutching his arm in pain. Immediately, I was intrigued. I kept watching, and eventually Benny appeared. New characters! Especially after the still-sore sting of Bobby's death, I wasn't sure I was ready for new characters, but I immediately welcomed Benny into the figurative hold of my embrace because 1) What woman wouldn't, what with Ty Olssen looking like that and speaking in that sultry accent? and 2) he seemed like the perfect person for Dean at that moment (not in a romantic way).

Their relationship -- though perhaps unhealthy in that it's just another secret/roadblock in the way of Sam and Dean's bromance and is admittedly shady (Benny is a vamp, after all) -- was at once beautifully mesmerizing, perfectly angsty and entirely compatible.

Moving on from Benny (sadly), there are plenty of other new characters to adore. By which I mean mostly Kevin and his mother. They added that punch of unexpected humor that has (ironically) come to be expected of a well-rounded SPN episode. Witty, quirky, and not the usual victim arch-type seen in the show, Kevin is just wonderful. Sure, it sucks that his girl had to die, but it kind of just integrated him to the Winchesters for me. Here is the equation:

male person + significant female companion's death by supernatural cause = friend of Winchesters / okay with me

KEVIN!

Speaking of Sam and Dean, their rockiness in this season, while not being anything novel, is nice in that neither of them is going crazy. No demon blood, no Lucifer, no breaking of the Great Wall of Hell.

We could also talk about Sam's most recent lady love, but we won't. I find her character really dry so far, and I don't see what Sam sees in her (certainly not clearly enough to believe that he never looked for Dean because he was so preoccupied with her. True, they did say that if one died, the other should move one, but 1) that has never actually been the case, and 2) Dean didn't die. Sam didn't know for certain that Dean was dead, and that is where I find flaw with then entire "Sam didn't try" plot thread. A disappearance is not a death. End of thought process).   

Without going into too much detail about the specific episodes (which have all been great thus far, just so everyone knows), overall, Season 8 seems to tie in more of what made the first season so compelling: focus on the goal, yes, but also focus on the monsters, on the morality, and on the problems that aren't literally getting ready to swallow the world whole. For the most part, things are almost back to normal, and I can't say how fantastic it is for the show to start easing back into what used to make it so unique and spellbinding.

Pitch Perfect

I'll admit that it's been several weeks since I actually watched this show, but I remember most of the points that I wanted to make.

Just to make this clear, though, despite whatever I may say, I really enjoyed the movie.

So, first of all, it was hilarious, obviously. The commercials alone nearly had me rolling. In fact, this may be one of the few movies where jamming all of the funny parts of the movie into a single commercial didn't ruin any of the humor.

Speaking of humor, let's talk about Rebel Wilson.

We can all admit that she stole the show. It's okay. We all know. Without her, this entire movie would have been a bust. Not even just the character of Fat Amy, but Rebel Wilson. She just stole it. I don't know what else to say.

Anna Kendrick did a good job, too, given her role. Because, honestly, Becca is one of those characters that I hate. In a lame attempt to give her roundness, she pushes people away for seemingly no reason and then, after alienating the one friend she managed to make (also, the movie's main beau), she suddenly realizes that she needs to change. Cool. That works, I guess. The thing that bothers me is that her reason for pushing people away is vaguely supposed to be her parents' divorce? Wow. Okay. I know that in Hollywood everything is capable of being utterly melodramatic, but really?

But let's just roll with this college girl desperately struggling to assert her independence by acting out at the one person who was really there for her through the entire movie. 

There was another part that just struck me as weirdly not-quite-right, and that was the four-way sing-off thing. I just feel like that wasn't played out very well. There was a lot of silence and a lot of groups-deffering-the-entire-scene-to-one-group-for-no-apparent-reason. Just sayin'. (I'm allowed to nit-pick if I want to!)

Also, I was disappointed that we didn't see more of Jesse (Skylar Astin). Not only is he adorable, but his character was warm and hilarious. In the beginning, it made it seem like we'd get a back-and-forth thing between Becca and Jesse's points-of-view. But no. It didn't really take away from the movie, but it would have been nice for it to be consistent. 

Drooling. Drool everywhere.

Overall, I thought that this was a really refreshing take on the whole "Glee"/show choir thing. Especially within the first few minutes of the movie (you who have seen, you know what I'm talking about). It has a lot of really surprising qualities that make it stand out, though maybe make it less realistic. (But this is a comedy movie and so we don't talk about realism, because that would make me lame.)

And the singing is great. I feel like that's important to mention.

Right. So, now that you've read all of this, go ahead and get "pitch slapped." It's worth it.

Coming Soon!

So, college is being college, and as such, I have been holding my eyelids open with toothpicks every night to get all of my assignments finished.

However, I have begun accumulating a list of things that I have seen/read/what-have-you that I will be reviewing soon!

First up, of course:

That's right. I saw the commercials and thought, "Yes. This needs to be watched." And then I watched it and thought to myself, "Self, this would make a fantastic review."

Secondly, you should all be warned that I am a major Supernatural fan.

Season 8? No, no. Season GR8 (again, thank you Tumblr). I am so very, very, very excited to get a review out about the beginning of this season so far. (Seriously, can we talk about Benny? I will be talking about Benny, with a focus on his [Cajun?] accent. Mmm.) It seems so very promising after two seasons of struggle-busing it.

There are more things, as well, but nothing as big as these two.

So bear with me and stick around a little while. These are totally worth waiting for.

Eargasms Galore

So, I know that this movie came out forever ago, but can I just talk about Kingdom of Heaven for a minute? Please? Because, let's be honest, it's awesome.

I don't care who you are, Orlando Bloom ranges somewhere 

between "adorable" and "sexy as hell" on your hotdar. 

Because he just does. Because he's Orlando Bloom.

Actually, what I really want to discuss is the music. I kind of owe it to Harry Gregson-Williams, since I've been using this soundtrack as inspiration for a rather consuming Creative Writing class since early August.

Honestly, I haven't seen the movie in a while (which I should probably do, and then come back and edit this post) so I can't say much on that in itself, but I've been listening to the soundtrack for, I don't know, a month straight now. And while, yes, I think that the movie as a whole deserves a post on here for its sheer epicness (shut up, spell-check, that's totally a word), I really just want to focus on the soundtrack right now. 

Whatever you're doing, stop it now and go find this album. (I can't really advocate illegally downloading anything and if that's something you do, I don't have to hear about it, but whatever works). It is just gorgeous and uplifting and suspenseful and haunting. Just excellence at its finest.

I can't really decide between "A New World," "The Battle of Kerak," or "Wall Breached" as my personal favorites, but my headphones have been glued to my ears with this album. Just the variety of the sounds and instruments used coupled with the absolutely masterful addition of that little flavor of choir/opera... Man, I just can't describe it in words. It ranges from intense battle soundtracks to lilting songs that make my soul want to sob, and everything in between. I mean, Harry Gregson-Williams is, of course, one of the utmost best at what he does (that being composing, duh, keep up with me here), so there should really be no doubt in anyone's mind in the first place. 

See this? Musical genius.

(And a handsome fellow, I might add.)

(If you didn't know who Harry Gregson-Williams was before this post and you go check out his stuff, then you're welcome. If you didn't know who he was before this post and refuse to go find out, then get off of my blog, you are no longer welcome here.)

If this kind of music isn't for you, fine (I like you a lot less for it, but fine). Yet, you have to admit that there is no reason to not like it aside from preference (read: bad taste). 

So, to cut short my own rambling, the Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack is worth your time. (Especially if you need lots of fuel for inspiration, like myself, in marathon quantities as opposed to sprint quantities.) Even if you don't like it (crazy), you'll still have to appreciate the great quality of it. 

Pro tip: Although all of the songs have the same sort of vibe because they're all from the same movie, listen to a few before you make any hasty decisions, because they're all very unique and have very different qualities.

Now go forth and listen!

Teen Wolf: Episodes One and Two

Okay, so, because I don't want to, and this is my blog, and I can run it however I please, I'm not going to do the scoring right now. I'm thinking that, if I do use it, it will only be for big things: entire seasons of series, certain books, etc.

So, Teen Wolf. I saw previews for it when it first came out. Thought it looked dumb, as most television series look to me. MTV hosting it didn't really inspire much confidence, either.

Then I get on my Tumblr account one day after an extended break and BOOM! Teen Wolf characters are plastered all over my dash and people are "creying" and "sobbing grossly" and cussing profusely at people's beautiful faces. You know, normal Tumblr barf. I thought it would fade away, like most trends on there.

It was not to be. After weeks of such bombardment, I finally thought "Sure, all right, I give. Let's try the show out."

***(Spoiler Alert)***

So, let's start with Scott McCall (Tyler Posey).

 He becomes a werewolf in the first episode. Cool, I guess. Get the ball rolling. Get the pot o' drama stirrin'. I get that. I don't get why he was changed in the first place (maybe we'll find out later), but cool.

Posey's a cute kid who fits his role as reluctant hero pretty well, I'd say. His acting is just this side of mediocre. Mediocre on a completely acceptable, "this is an MTV show" kind of level. Can't hate too hard, though, because it's only been two episodes and I've watched worse shows with worse acting with much less promise.

Now, I'm aware that I've only seen two episodes total so far, but this kid has become my fast favorite (and a fandom favorite):

Meet Stiles Stilinski (Dylan O'Brien).

I like Stiles' character. A lot. Even though I tend to gravitate toward the "Humorous Secondary Character"s (it's a class of character, as surely as Villain, Heroine, or Hero) anyway, I like the other parts of his character. The bits that make him so likable and realistic: his easy enthusiasm, his moral compass, his loyalty and dedication to his friends (or friend, since I haven't seen that he has any others besides Scott, really), his struggle over unrequited attraction, and, as stated above, his comic relief.  

I won't lie: I wouldn't nominate him for any Emmys, but he's not bad, and he suits his character extremely well. The thing with the Humorous Secondary Character role is that it seems easy to fill. It doesn't quite come with the emotional turmoil of Hero role, and making people laugh in a show is easier than making people attempt to hug themselves so tightly that they can comfort their own souls. But O'Brien's pretty much captured Stiles' character and made him so likable that it seems absurd that anyone else should ever have tried to audition for the role. (Or maybe I'm being a little dramatic, because it's hard to follow up any sentence containing the word "soul" without overcompensating a little bit.)

Again though, two episodes. Maybe he becomes a more central figure (not that he's not extremely important to the show already), maybe he stays stuck in the tv equivalent of the friend zone. I can't say.

If you'd please take a look at this hunk, now:

Yes, I did choose the shirtless pic on purpose. You're welcome.

Introducing Jackson Whittemore (last name sketchily supplied by a mouseover of a Google image) as played by Colton Haynes. I'll bet you ten internet cookies (and not the kind that need cleared regularly) that you thought a picture of Derek (Tyler Hoechlin) was going to go there.

But no. Jackson.

I don't have much to say on him. So far, he doesn't have a huge part to play outside of antagonist. I can tell that he's going to have a larger role coming up here soon though, and I'm excited for it. Well, I'm actually excited to get to better know his character more than I'm excited for his contribution to the plot. Maybe that's just the English major in me. 

Now, at this point, I'm getting kinda sick of typing. So I'll try to be quick.

Werewolf dude. Bit Scott? Suspected murderer, but not really.

Scott's girlfriend. Her daddy is a werewolf hunter or something.

Great, so, I'm pretty much over character analyses at this point. Not to mention that it's hard to be a fair judge of character when you've only seen two episodes. (Although I will ask you this: if you were in a dark locker room, called out your beau's name, got no response, and heard scary dog/panting noises, would you run, or try to not-hide beside a locker? ...That's what I thought.)

Plot, plot, plot. Where do I begin? 

Well, I don't know if it's just because the series is based on an old show or because television writers still have not gotten a grasp on the way a typical high school actually works, but I find the way the show is unfolding to be very stereotypical. The normal guy and his bestie, the awesomely athletic jock/sports captain and his heartless girlfriend who just wants to have some of the spotlight on her by association, the normal guy falling for the new girl. Blah blah blah. Read the same story a hundred times over, right? Well, I have (and I'm only nineteen years old). The only curve ball in this show is that football/baseball/any conventional sport ever is replaced with lacrosse. Whoop-dee-doo. (Actually, I do kind of find the sport interesting, but it doesn't detract from the cookie-cutter-ness of the show.)

The werewolf aspects so far seem cool though. I mean, still stereotypical "anger is a trigger" and whatnot, but the little whatsit with the wolfsbane -- you know, the little hoodoo circle around the body -- seemed pretty cool. And there's something to say for sticking to original myths and not straying too far from popular culture. (I mean, we all know how Stephanie Meyer did with that:)

Need I say more?

The graphics or CGI or whatever's being used in this show, they're okay, too. As I've said countless times, only the second episode. Haven't seen much of them yet, and what I have seen of them have been dark and... very dark shots. 

So, overall:

• Okay plot, leaning heavily on the stereotypical (but not straying too far from popular myths, which is a good thing in this case)
• Acceptable acting (and certainly attractive actors)
• Realistic characters (with believable relationships [and I'm including friendships here, too, because Stiles and Scott have an adorable bromance])
• Decent graphics/CGI

 All of this = not too shabby, but too early to really tell.

Hashing Out The Scores

So, after sitting down and brainstorming with a friend for a little bit, I came up with a way to do this to make it fair(ish). Basically what I came up with is a breakdown of important aspects to movies and books. (Anything outside of those two categories will probably just get a basic review without such a specific breakdown.)

So, for movies, here are the aspects that I'll look at:

• Plot 
• Characters/Characterization
• Casting/Acting
• Realism/Relatability
• Other (which will encompass things such as CGI, animation, graphics, sountracks/musical scores, and whatever else may irk/please me)

Each aspect will be out of twenty points (think of it as five stars, if that helps you), with a total of 100 points. It's like a grade on a school test.

Books are mostly the same:

• Plot 
• Characters/Characterization
• Style (which includes things such as mechanics, point of view, tense, yadda yadda yadda) 
• Realism/Relatability 
• Other

Same sort of scoring and whatnot.

Are we ready to go, then? I'm not sure I am, actually (there's a surprising amount of pressure, I feel, now that I'm actually about to start on my first review), but I shall forge onward!

The Review is Born!

I'm going to jump right into this: I have opinions. I want to share those opinions. Sometimes I'll read or watch something and think This is great and needs to be shared immediately!

This is great and needs to be shared immediately!

Just as often, I'll read or watch something and think Why? Just why?

Why? Just why?

And so The Review came to be born. I'm still working on the idea, trying to create something of a template to compare things. You know, sorting out aspects and seeing how they play into things.

I'm not saying that everything I review will be popular. I'm not saying that everyone will agree with me. I don't think that that should be a problem. I'm just going to say what I think, and that's all. If you have questions like Why should I listen to you? here's the honest truth: I don't care if you do or don't.

As for some background: I'm A. (as in an initial) Cramer (hence the web address) and attend Purdue University studying Professional Writing. I work in a dining court and also at a drive-in movie theater. I grew up in a little town in Indiana. I speak only English.

That's it for the intro post. I'm hoping to have an actual post up by the end of today, actually, and I'm thinking that the first Review will be for the pilot episode of Teen Wolf (the 2011 version).