TV Thoughts- the Good Guys

New shows that are fantastic seem hard to come by nowadays. HOWEVER. New shows that are at least a little refreshing are continuing to accumulate my Hulu account and my want-to-watch lists, though, this year, and it’s rare for me to start watching a show that was NOT recommended to me first. I have little patience for stumbling onto shows that seem to be a copy-paste idea with nothing but a new coat of paint and a younger cast. However, sometimes the shows that I sit down with, having no knowledge beforehand, can actually prove entertaining.

One of the newest recruits to the TV-loves-cops-and-guns subgenre is “the Good Guys”. Basically, Colin Hanks is the straight man to Bradley Whitford’s ridiculous partner in a buddy-cop dramedy that started up this summer. From the get-go, the music underplaying tons of scenes gives you a pretty standard feel of “action show fun!” while also keeping an almost-retro sort of fun to the show. That plus the 70’s pornstar mustache sported by Whitford is something of a character all on its own. The damn thing steals half the scenes if you’re used to his old character from “the West Wing”, and it’s somehow got a charisma and a vitality that make his slackjawed reactions to their escalating scenarios all the more funnier.

The pair spend each weekly episode getting into large-scale crimebusting from some seemingly innocuous start---and always at the bumbling, shoot-first-and-don’t-apologize ogrely tactics of Whitford’s character. Bailey and Stark (Hanks and Whit respectively) are “loveable” because they’re unorthodox, and fortunately this show has enough laughs alongside the explosions to keep one interested, albeit a repetitive tactic. But loveable is a relative term with this show as they are regularly singled out as the trouble-making pair on the police force and if I were the Commissioner I feel like I would be JUST as exasperated as she that these two assholes can create piles of mess and complication but somehow still manage to solve cases that seemed simple or nonexistent at first glance.

I think one of the reasons I can adore this show, and be somewhat nonplussed at the same time, is that it’s created by one Matt Nix. You may or may not be aware of his other show, “Burn Notice” which has garnered decent ratings, certainly enough for a fourth season now. The spy-who’s-no-longer-a-spy, but-still-uses-spy-skills-to-be-a-hero show had a solid start, but has lost my appetite even if I am still returning to see how things go down. Oh, and it seems like our writer/creator’s through-line for all shows will be “badass car that you wish you were driving”. I do enjoy the cars. Mmmmmm.

The biggest problem with both of these shows is that they are beyond merely formulaic, they’re this-is-a-blueprint-done-as-color-by-numbers. With Burn Notice it’s Michael getting roped into helping some schmuck who’s gotten entangled with hardcore criminals while occasionally beginning to delve into the still-4-seasons-later mystery to the bigger picture of WHY he was blacklisted as a spy. With Good Guys, the pattern goes, “pair opens a minor case, case blends with unrelated event and draws them into major police success against Bigger Circumstance”. Now I understand the logic behind this, but let me tell you right now, the minute Bradley Whitford’s Daniel Stark stops becoming funny in his over-the-top bravado and brustling bristles of butch-ness, I will not want to keep watching. That’s the pleasant part of the show—Hanks and Whitford execute each joke with accuracy and inner energy. It sincerely looks like they’re having fun MAKING this show.

In short, if you're a fan of either actor and If you’re a cop-genre fan and want something on the humorous side, then I would recommend THE GOOD GUYS. But if you’re looking for a Law & Order replacement you’re watching the wrong channel.

Three out of Five mustachios.

Movie Musings: INCEPTION

I'll start out by admitting that it's 4:15am and I am writing this article in two parts; i'm forcing myself to take a nap, and go see this movie again, to make sure that I can find the best words possible to write a review for this film. By the time you read this I'll have mulled the movie over for about twenty-four hours. As always, no spoilers below, though a few plot points/key elements will be discussed.

Comic Book Consideration: POWERS

One of the things that I enjoy about reading comic books is that I tend to read en masse. While it may put a dent in my monthly funds, it certainly provides me with things I’m willing to go back and read more than just once. POWERS is a perfect example of this; It’s certainly made me a follower and it’s put out a ton of interesting material for reading over the last decade.

TV Thoughts - STARGATE UNIVERSE

Of the new shows I've tried to dive into this year, one of the surprising ones has been STARGATE: UNIVERSE.

Bookshelf Badgering: the Dresden Files

One of the book series I would recommend hands-down to any of my friends, without question or hesitation, would have to be the Dresden Files. I won't bother explaining individual plots to you but will hit what I like about the series and let you enjoy each story should you pick 'em up.

Steel Yourself!

Iron Man Review(s) part II

alright, now that we got the comic book portion out of the way, on to the movie!

IRON MAN 2 (or: when superheroes take a coffee-and-donut break from saving the world)
Let me say this right here and right now: this review is mostly about the technicality, not the substance itself. The movie was decent, it continues the series faithfully, I wholeheartedly recommend you go see it, anon and soforth. Everything I have to say today is focused essentially on nitpicking.


I've had a lot of thoughts about this film over the course of the past week. While watching the film, I had a few reservations because I'd heard the Early Critic Reviews spoke of a poor film.

As a fanboy, let me tell you that those were dissuaded, for me, in the first gorramn minute or so.

Now, that being said, I do have some arguments with the film.
The movie, as a whole, is enjoyable. I think that this is a fine continuation of the series, it continues the overzealous, arrogant, playful impression of Tony Stark that RDJ has solidified into my memory as THE Tony Stark. the man who hides behind humor because he wants to be a steely as the armor he dons. Of course, good drama happens when that mask breaks, and we see Tony in way over his head this time around and that's a great thing. I think that the writers and the director have set a very clear approach and stuck to it.

I had a few nitpick problems with the film. For one thing, I was a little disappointed that so much of the movie was an Avengers set-up. Now some people argue that's what made the movie better. Personally, I enjoyed it greatly BUT felt that it was still heavy-handed and we could have been set with, say, five to ten minutes less of it. The sheer volume of it brought Samuel L. Jackson to ludicrous standings with me this time around. Sure, I believe that Nick Fury is a sarcastic bastard and humor suits him. But the writing for this film, matched with Sam's ability to Bring It, meant that Nick Fury was cheesy to a new degree. I say this disappointed me because there was a temperance to him in his little cameo last time that suggested the badass but didn't overshadow it with a slightly campy approach. Having the Captain America Shield, Thor's Hammer after the ending credits, totally cool; they were there briefly and we moved on.

Also, there was NOT enough Mickey Rourke in this film. I had hoped for so much more screen time. I blame Heath Ledger's similarly short screen time in Dark Knight for setting the bar high now in films like this to bring their best in bursts.

The storyline itself only dragged when the Avengers stuff happened and the War Machine/American Military part happened. While I understand the need to dumb it down and explain, we could have fit most of that stuff into the "I'll take it. all of them" scene and the brief scene where Rhody sees it's being taken out of his hands. that's it. Even a non-comic-book fan should be able to pick up on that stuff without it.

Sam Rockwell plays down-on-luck, sleazy guys really well. I look forward to more Justin Hammer in IM3. That being said, he conveyed it so well that I reiterate, it could have been done in a shorter amount of film reel and still had the same potency.

Scarlett Johansson was a pleasant addition to the cast in that I wasn't sure how Black Widow was going to be in this interpretation. I was pleasantly misguided in my worry, and look forward to her in the Avengers film continuing this role.

Needs more Jarvis/garage fun time. the Papa Stark stuff was nice, and "inventing" a new element was something that screamed Comic Book Approach so effectively that I am thrilled to see it happen, and in a cool way, on screen.

I suppose that my biggest argument with the film is that there was no imminent sense of urgency to it. For awhile we had the techno-virus in his bloodstream, but then that got turned around with a one-shot cure. YAAY. oh wait. there's still forty five miuntes? ho hum. what to do?

the action? great. the humor? beyond iron-clad. i just needed a bit more drama.

all in all, i give it Three Out Of Four Stars.

Steel yourself!

okay, so maybe a metals joke wasn't the best title for a two-part IRON MAN review. yayyyy puns.


with all the Iron Man paraphernalia on the shelves these days, it's hard for a non-fan or a casual Iron-ite to want to pick any of it up because of the sheer volume of literature. But if I could recommend only one, this would be it...

IRON MAN:NOIR

a quick intro to the NOIR universe: Marvel has created a "what if?" scenario where all of the familiar faces have been transplanted, sans the usual superpowers, into the gritty early-20th-century America, circa the gangster-heavy depression era.

IRON MAN: NOIR further dives into this fun pulpy 'verse by bringing us the wild, Indiana-Jones-like adventures of one Anthony Stark, a millionaire playboy looking to feel alive. His daring outings are chronicled as fiction for a local pulp magazine but we learn from the get-go that most of these "stories" are fairly accurate takes on what happens when Tony leaves the country.

I say "Indy-like" because the first issue literally starts with nazis, a rare artifact, some backstabbing, and big explosions. We're off like a bullet from there, into this somewhat fairytale lifestyle, and we learn most of the usual stuff but now set to World War I instead of a later tech-advancement era in warfare. We get a nice peek at the Iron Man suit in motion, but then the issue ends.

Part two came out this past week and I'm actually kind of pleased to say we didn't even see the suit at work; Instead we're on a dive to the fabled city of Atlantis- which it turns out has some basis in fact (again, Indy-like parallels) and we're launching right into the overall plot once more.

While it's only halfway through this four part starter to the Iron Man vein of the NOIR 'verse, I am thoroughly enjoying it and highly recommend it. It's got a very action flavor, and is very reminiscent of those old Pulp scifi adventures of the era it's set during. Major props continue for the the shout-outs to classic Marvel stuff (Baron Zemo, Namor, more on the way I'm sure) as all the NOIR series have effectively done. Personally, I can't wait to see the Iron Armor in action next issue :)