Netflix Watch Instant: Veronica Mars: Season 1

Veronica Mars was a show far better than it's network. Airing on UPN and its affiliates, it wasn't available to the entire nation when it first aired. UPN was known for its comedies with all African American casts, appealing to a niche market now dominated by Tyler Perry on TBS. Given this, I know not enough people watched the show when it was on air, myself included. I caught the seasons on DVD, after the show was already canceled.

All three seasons are available on Netflix Watch Instant, but with each season consisting of 22 episodes it's a big time commitment.  If you only have time to watch one season, Season 1 is among the best whole seasons of television I've ever watched, up there with 24 Season 1, Chuck Season 2, and Lost Season 1. It follows Veronica Mars, daughter of a P.I. and former star sheriff, as she tries to crack the case of her murdered best friend. Veronica Mars was Kristen Bell's star-making role and it saddens me to see her reduced to one-note movie roles like in When in Rome and You Again. This girl can handle so much more than rom-coms! I hope she comes back to television to tackle some meaty roles worthy of her spunk soon.

Hereafter: First Trailer

I'm surprised I haven't heard of this film before! Starring Matt Damon and directed by Clint Eastwood, this is sure to get an Oscar push.

The official description for the movie doesn't quite capture what makes me so intrigued to watch it:

"Hereafter" tells the story of three people who are touched by death in different ways. George (Matt Damon) is a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie (Cecile De France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus, a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might--or must--exist in the hereafter.

October is shaping up to be an excellent movie month between this, The Social Network, and RED.

SyFy Original Movie: Mandrake

Tomorrow is the return of SyFy Original Movies! Above is a preview clip from the new movie, Mandrake. While the clip starts off slow, the last few seconds totally make up for it. Tune in Saturday at 9pm EST/PST.

I know these are not the best quality, but they truly are  my generation's B-movies. While the drive-ins and theaters of yesteryear had their double features, we have big blockbusters, art house fare, and award winners without much falling outside these labels. SyFy's Original Movies fill the void as best they can with cheesy horror, scifi monster mash, and creature features on low low budgets. We need these types of films. You need bad films to recognize and appreciate the good. You need bad films to learn from. And you need bad films just to satisfy certain tastes. Certain bad films are so bad they're good - you enjoy and revel in the poor acting, lackluster storylines, and flat characters. Without bad films, there would be no Mystery Science Theater 3000! And I don't know if I would want to live in a world where that didn't exist.

Linkulous: Vampires, Rom-Coms, and Feminism for Bitches

Buffy is so Whiny....NOT


Those Who Can't Do, Hate

Dracula Degree: School Offers Master's of Vampire Studies - if I had a few tens of thousands to burn, I'd so be there!

Label Lamentation: The Growing Misuse of “Recap” in Television Criticism Semantics

Hack attack hits home for AP writer

Why Tumblr Sucks - While I agree with a lot of what he says, I'm still on it. It does have a great community and the easy reblog feature makes it very easy to share anything I come across. You can check out my Tumblr at http://toointerestingfortwitter.tumblr.com

Feminism for Bitches - In defense of Olivia Munn

Television Without Pity: Fall 2010 Television Watch, DVR, Skip 

Judd Apatow Switches Gears; Now Working on Female-Centric Projects

'Caprica' to Return in October

Above photo from: Post-Apocalyptic Pick-Up Lines

The Vampire Diaries: Season 2 Episode 1

Last season, The Vampire Diaries was the show that I loved way more than I thought I would. It's fast pace and daring storylines got me hooked! No other show crammed as many major character deaths, changes of alliances, and huge twists as The Vampire Diaries. It just reminds me of the hay days of The WB with Buffy, Charmed and Roswell.

When we last were in Mystic Falls, we left just as the legendary Katherine returned. In the 5 minutes she appeared, she attacked uncle John, kissed Damon, and could have killed Elena. We return this season to find Jeremy on death's door, possibly a soon to be vampire, and Elena battling her evil twin (of sorts) Katherine.

Damon pieces together that Elena's shoddy memory is really the work Katherine impersonating her. But it's Stefan who notices immediately that she's isn't Elena. I don't know if it was his super smell, hearing (no heart beat), or if he just knew Elena's mannerisms. But Katherine still gets the upperhand in the fight and escapes to further manipulate.

Caroline collapsed at the end of last season, and after a short scare she's back and healing quickly, thanks to some V. Wait wrong show, thanks to some of Damon's blood.I love her relationship with Matt. They are the cute, normal relationship in comparison to Stefan/Elena. It's too bad that's going to have to change now that she is probably going to become a vampire. At the end of the episode Katherine smothered her in her hospital bed. She went limp, so if she's really dead and has Damon's blood in her system still, she'll be going the way of Vicki - newborn vampire.

Bonnie has grown more and more powerful over the course of season 1, but is she powerful enough to stop vampires? She managed to give Damon a big enough headache to stop him in his tracks, but for Katherine it was only enough to annoy her. Luckily, she thought on her feet and threw the doors open to expose the dispute to the entire house at the wake.

This episode just made me sad for Damon. He finally has Katherine where he's dreamed of for the past 145 years, only to hear that she's been in love with Stefan this whole time. He's dedicated decades to try to find her, try to save her from the tomb under the church, but she never cared for him. Then, after that encounter, he goes to Elena in a drunken mood and doesn't know how to deal with her being in love with Stefan as well. He advances and forces a kiss upon her, then when she backs away he lashes out. Jeremy walked in at the wrong time and ended up with a fatal blow from Damon. Luckily, he was wearing the magical ring from his uncle and revived a few minutes later in shock, but still human. He not only lost the dream of Katherine, but also any hope he had of a friendship or more with Elena.

Next week: The Mystic Falls annual carnival. Is Caroline a vampire? How are Damon and Stefan going to deal with Katherine? Plus, hopefully more on Tyler and his uncle!