Friday, December 30, 2011

tvlandia

i stated the beginning of the new fall television season that i will be now watching tv. i had been so focused on films for the past few years and with the lack of a television it just got harder and harder to really find time to watch all the shows that i wanted to. with the surge of reality shows, it felt like good storytelling was really hard to come by. with the exception of community and two broke girls, i felt like the only good television worth watching was on cable, esp on amc, hbo, ifc, and what not. after the fall trial period, i stopped tuning into 'the new girl,' 'pan am,' 'the office,' and (gasp!) 'boardwalk empire.' i lost complete interest and some of their ideology was really bothering me (ahem, the new girl...) instead of dragging my feet to see if any of these series would eventually pick up their pace, i dropped them like hot cakes and moved onto popular picks like breaking bad and newcomers, portlandia and enlightened. mad men was always on top of my list but now i finally finished season 4, im dying to see what season 5 has in stores. these are just some of the shows im am currently watching as well as a few films here and there. 

ive heard so many things about breaking bad so finally i gave in and gave it a go. while it is honestly the heaviest series i am currently watching, it is addicting. i always thought shows that this about the sympathetic yet law-breaking civilians were overrated with shows like nurse jackie, dexter,  and weeds,  that have about the same premise was just getting old. while i cant say if breaking bad is much better than the other ones cause i didnt fully watch the other series, this show is shocking, explosive, and empowering. im only on season 2... till next time.

i really wanted to explore the realm of television and what is has to offer so i googled 'best new shows 2011' and portlandia came up. the humor of saturday night live is understood and adored by many, my humor is a little harder to please. this show is entirely about portland, oregon and everything it has to offer. the pros and cons between television and a live show is obvious. but the one thing that a live show cannot offer that digital presentation can is editing. which i think plays a huge part in my ability to laugh. portlandia shows the lives of hipsters but to an extreme. you thought you were a hipster, wait till you get a load of these two (points up.) fred armisen (snl) and carrie brownstein are the stars that embody all the hipsters you hate/love around the world. i just ended season 1. season 2 starts jan. 6, 2012. YYYYES.

laura dern is simply amazing. this show somehow has the ability to drag and yet make you anticipate for the next episode. dern's character, Amy is not easy to love but knowing her, you want to give her some benefit of the doubt that things will pan out in the end. will it? will it not? amy is a walking disaster and everything she touches turns to complete shit. will she be redeemed? get her revenge? be understood? maybe not. we will see season 2 if the underdogs will prevail or be killed. 

need i say more. just look at him...