Random Topics: See! I'm Not Crazy!

Just saw this on one of the TV blogs I sometimes frequent. Remarkably similar to the points that I was making about the Buffy reboot. Could it be...(dramatic sound effect) thievery?

The answer's no, by the way. More likely, it means that everyone who has given this a second's worth of thought has concluded that it's a dumb idea. Yeesh. Maybe I need to try to be less of a nerd, cause it can just be real stressful sometimes. I promise this is the last I'll post about it.



Unless it keeps bothering me.

Film Review -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
Director: David Yates; Writer: Steve Kloves
Warner Bros. Pictures

Every Harry Potter movie has seemed a bit of a doomed proposition from the get-go; the films have to deal with issues of managing fan expectations and lessening disappointment to a far greater extent than most adaptations, simply because the fans of the series are so passionate and numerous. The novels seem to be so much a part of the modern collective consciousness (or, at least, that of the audience that sees the films) in a way that even the Lord of the Rings or the Chronicles of Narnia can't compare to. Ironically, the franchise's intense popularity has prevented the movies from excelling - the filmmakers can't possibly hope to deliver the same depth and experience that the books provide, which leads to inevitably unfavorable comparisons.

Of course, I might be completely talking out of my ass, and maybe the real reason that the Harry Potter movies have been largely disappointing to me is that they just weren't all that good. Oftentimes it feels like the films emphasize style over substance, that they're more concerned with advancing plot than character, and that they fumble some of the most compelling aspects of the books. I feel obligated to defend the third and fourth films as being pretty good, and the fifth and six were alright, but I certainly wouldn't call any of them great. And while I still wouldn't call Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 "great," it is my favorite Harry Potter movie yet.

Random Topics: Why the Buffy Reboot Makes Absolutely No Sense

I haven't written anything for this blog for quite some time. School and being lazy have occupied a lot of my time, and I just haven't felt motivated to write much. I needed something to jolt me back into my writing groove, and boy oh boy did Warner Bros. ever come through in the clutch. Recently, Warner Bros. Pictures announced plans to bring Joss Whedon's beloved heroine, Buffy Anne Summers, Vampire Slayer Extraordinaire, back to the big screen. Details can be found in the above link, though they are few at this point, but here's the important stuff, after the break:

A Worthy Cause

For my first order of business in my return to this blog, I thought it would be fitting to call attention to the blog of someone much smarter, funnier, and more talented than I. That person is one Patrick Rothfuss. Rothfuss, for those of you who aren't quite as massively nerdy as I am, is the author of the widely-acclaimed fantasy novel "The Name of the Wind," as well as the forthcoming sequel, "Wise Man's Fear." Now, I haven't read any of his work, but "The Name of the Wind" is definitely near the top of my gargantuan list of books I want to read, and I have followed his blog for the past couple years or so.

One of the reasons I consider myself to be a fan of Pat's, without having read anything by him, is that every year around the holidays, he runs a fundraiser of sorts to benefit Heifer International. He reaches out to all of his fellow author friends, a fantastic Sci-Fi/Fantasy specialty press called Subterranean Press, and a plethora of other sources to come up with a ton of books, comics, and other items of interest to give away for charity.

The specifics of the fundraiser, which is called Worldbuilders, can be found at his blog, but the basic idea is that for every $10 you give to Heifer International, you get a chance to win one of the fabulous books that Pat has assembled. And these are things that any Sci-Fi/Fantasy lover would drool over - limited editions, signed copies, advanced reading copies, rare and out of print volumes - it's a cornucopia of nerdy awesomeness. And the best part is, Rothfuss has pledged to match 50% of the amount raised, because he's just a great guy.

Last year, Worldbuilders raised almost $200,000 for Heifer International and gave away some pretty sweet stuff. I've given money the past two years, and managed to pocket two books for my contributions. So, if you're the type of person that gets irrationally excited by the thought of owning a book signed by Neil Gaiman or Jim Butcher, be sure to head over to the Worldbuilders site and fork over some of your cash - it's a good cause with great prizes.

Hmm, Now Where Did I Put That Blog of Mine...

Howdy, readers. It's been a while since I've put anything up here, and I'm sorry for that - a sentiment that I seem to be expressing a lot on this blog. Well, you can't say I didn't warn you this time, since I said I would be pretty busy with school. I mean, technically you could point out that I promised I would have a podcast up "next week" back in September (I recorded most of it, but finally just gave up), but let's just let the past stay in the past. Carpe diem, and all that good stuff!

In any case, I finally have some time off for Thanksgiving, and I'll be doing a bit of writing over this break. I'm not promising much, and anything I put up is likely going be very random and not necessarily fit the loose format I devised for the blog, but I hope you'll forgive me.

Suffice it to say, I'm back, and I hope all my wonderful, dedicated, imaginary fans will come back too.

TCR Podcast - Episode 2

As I wrote in my previous post, I'm continuing with the making of the awful podcasts for a little while - and here's the second one right here! I have to apologize for the atrocious sound quality (and general quality) - I'll really try to do much better for the next one. Incidentally, the next podcast will probably come up either Monday or Tuesday of next week. Unless it's Wednesday. Anyway, on this podcast, I talk about my plan for the blog, the debut of FX's Terriers, have a dumb conversation with myself about ratings, touch on the new Thermals album (their music is featured today), and rapidly talk about some things I've been meaning to get to for over a month. Enjoy!

Download the podcast here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5g98il8oxbf0e33

New Plan - It's Like a Blog, but Without the Reading!

Hello, all you fine people that read my blog! I feel as if I've been treating you wrong lately, and that just pains me so deep. So I've decided to try to make it up to you. No, I didn't get you candy, or chocolate, or flowers, or a nice little card with a cute animal saying "sowwy" on it. No, only the best for my readers: You get to listen to me prattle on about things on a regular podcast!

Some of my more jaded (imaginary) followers might be thinking, Hey, didn't this asshole say he was gonna do a regular podcast like a month ago, and then fail? Well, fucker, I suppose you're technically correct. But I'm still treating this as good news because I think I've figured out a way where I can still have a tiny amount of content posted regularly, at least enough that I can justify still bothering with this blog. Here's the deal: I'm at college right now, and while I'm definitely not an incredibly busy person, most of my free time is consumed by either schoolwork or doing things with my boyfriend. If I felt extremely motivated, I could pretty easily find the time to upload a new post probably like 4-6 times per week for The Casualty Report, but I feel like that's just not enough for me to do everything justice (especially considering fall TV season is heating up). However, I still want to be able to contribute something to the blog. So, I polled the best and brightest minds in science and, after an in-depth review of their responses, I've determined that TCR will now be taking the form of a (roughly once or twice a week) podcast.

This doesn't mean I won't occasionally write some good old-fashioned words for whatever nerds out there that still "read" things, but I won't be writing much. I'll probably have a good deal of time over the holidays to write, so I'll probably do some best-of-the-year lists and midseason check-ins on the TV shows I've been following. In the meantime, however, check back every now and then for some poorly-made and mind-numbingly boring podcasts!

Hiatus

What up, peoples. I'm aware that there has not been anything new posted here for a little while, and I figured I should probably just admit that there won't be anything coming up anytime soon. I'm just too busy with school and other things (Eli) to really devote much time to this blog, so there may not be any new content for a little while. If I happen to get a lot of time, I may do some limited writing, but until further notice, I'm taking a little break. Peace out!

TCR Podcast - Episode 1

Hey everyone! This is a bit of an experiment for me - I've created a boring podcast to match my boring blog! Some said it couldn't be done, or shouldn't (or they would have if anyone read this except Eli), but that's just how much of a rebel I am, I guess. Anyway, I'll probably be doing new episodes roughly every Monday, so check it out!

On this podcast, I introduce the TCR podcast, discuss my agenda for the coming week, talk about the weekend box office numbers and Scott Pilgrim, and briefly discuss the pilots of Covert Affairs and Rubicon. If you like it, please subscribe to the blog's feed (and hopefully I'll make it so that it's subscribable on iTunes as well). Apologies for some slight technical difficulties.

Download the podcast here: http://www.mediafire.com/?w3zcazb9vwlcc1k


NPR piece on Scott Pilgrim

New TV Review -- Rubicon

Rubicon
Gone in the Teeth
AMC Sundays 9 p.m.

In some ways, Rubicon, AMC's new original series, bears a good deal of resemblance to the show I was talking about here yesterday, USA's Covert Affairs. Both shows are centered around the cloak-and-dagger world of international intrigue. Both shows come from creators that have had limited experience as TV showrunners (Jason Horwitch, the creator of Rubicon, helmed NBC's Medical Investigation a few years back but otherwise has almost no notable credits to his name). And both shows are airing on cable networks where the ratings expectations are relatively low.

That's pretty much where the similarities end. AMC has been slowly developing a very interesting and impressive slate of original programming (their forthcoming adaptation of The Walking Dead has me pretty excited), which puts Rubicon under a different level of scrutiny than Covert Affairs. It's only fair to be expecting big things from the home of critical darlings Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I'm nowhere near ready to pass judgment yet on whether Rubicon as a whole will grow into an equally appealing show, but this pilot left me fairly underwhelmed.

Track of the Day - 8/15/10

"Suburban War" - Arcade Fire
Listen Here

Off of their new release, The Suburbs, "Suburban War" is one of my favorite tracks from the album. Or maybe not, since every time I listen to the album something different jumps out at me. Whatever, just listen to the damn song if you want.

Previous day's connection: I'm not telling you! But wait, it's not because I'm a douchebag (though that's probably true), it's cause I'm using the same connection for today as well! Cause for celebration, or annoying cop-out? Only time will tell...

TV Review -- Covert Affairs

Covert Affairs
Walter's Walk
USA Tuesdays 10 p.m.

So I promised y'all that I'd get to the second episode of USA's newest original series, the spy-actioner Covert Affairs, and I always keep my promises* (*Note: not a promise). In any case, despite my general lack of interest in most of USA's fluffy fare, I found the pilot to be surprisingly enjoyable and intriguing, enough so that I decided to stick around and try a few more episodes. Let's just say that Walter's Walk was not quite the pleasant surprise I was hoping for.

TV is an interesting medium to analyze, partly because it's actually comparatively easy for shows to make changes and tweaks, or even completely reinvent themselves. It's hard for the makers of, say, a movie to make adjustments halfway through filming that dramatically change the tone or emphasis of the film. TV, however, provides ample opportunity to do just that - and perhaps the amplest of opportunities comes after a show's pilot, which is made far in advance of the rest of the episodes. It's apparent in watching Walter's Walk that the showrunners of Covert Affairs decided to seize the chance to make a few tweaks. The Domestic Protection Division (DPD) has a new office, a set change which is pretty unremarkable, but hey, it's there. The character of Conrad (Eric Lively) has been replaced with Jai (Sendhil Ramamurthy, or Mr. Mohinder "Annoying Voice-Over" Suresh from Heroes), and I can't say I was particularly attached to Conrad, so the switch is fine by me. But beyond the set and casting changes, it seemed to me like the showrunners removed something that's a bit more disconcerting: they took out the fun.