Interlude II: Back for More

         I said I'd come back to Tiny Furniture when I'd seen more bad movies and I have and I am. Besides Tiny Furniture, I saw Rocket Science and Mission to Mars. I'll give the run-down and then talk a little bit about TV.
         Tiny Furniture was a pretty big bust for me. I gave it a cross, that is, movies that, based on the trailer and various other items, I am excited to see. Watching the trailer, my cross was premature. As is all too often the case, every funny joke in the whole film is in the trailer. Our protagonist is the most wretched of women and she has almost nothing to teach us. One moment of clarity, very near the climax, maybe the climax itself, is when her college friend finally arrives and tries to talk to her and is unable to get through. This actress, Merritt Wever, is the only bright spot in the movie in fact. This is also the only member of the cast that I recognized from anything else. She had small parts in Signs, Michael Clayton, and Greenberg. This movie, in fact, reminds me of why I didn't like Greenberg. The filmmaker doesn't seem to want us to like our protagonist, but doesn't feel its his/her place to actually say it. This is, to me, a huge mistake. The point of all media is to be just what the name means, a way, a means of communication. If you don't want to say anything, don't make art.
         The second film, Rocket Science, was hilarious and really worth watching, but I didn't like its conclusion. Anna Kendrick, who made me a fan with Up in the Air and kept me hooked after 50/50 and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, was in this in 2007, only her third career item as an actress on IMDb. She, Reece Thompson, and Vincent Piazza do great work here, especially these two guys as brothers. Throw in Denis O'Hare and Aaron Yoo, the latter of which reminds me very much of a great Chinese kid I grew up with, and you have a pretty great movie, minus a good message. This movie is only here instead of in its own review because the conclusion is totally outside my group of acceptable messages.
         I also watched Mission to Mars, a love-letter to extraterrestrial intelligent design theory and I can assure you there is little here. The characters are just well enough fleshed out that you feel for them, but the music is overpowering and the ending is corny, even silly. I wouldn't suggest it, but you might try to find the scene where the alien explains how they created humanity on YouTube. It is a simple and clear explanation of that hypothesis, even believable for someone without better history.
         I often fail to write here because I am watching TV instead of movies and I think I'll briefly go over what I am watching from time to time, just so I'm saying something when I get stuck.
         I have been watching The Mentalist quite a bit recently. There has been a series of marathons that I expect span the first three seasons in a row. I have watched a lot and would suggest it to anyone who watches or reads detective stories. It is at least near that perfect balance that I have hypothesized is the key for a good detective story.
         First focus is always the case. Within this is a modicum of personal stuff. Importantly, the majority of character development focuses on our eponymous mentalist. There are peaks at other characters and how that personal stuff affects their work, but most of it is left out altogether. This balance is best achieved in greats like Monk or Psych or even Burn Notice. Law and Order: Criminal Intent does a passable job as well. Other acceptable alternatives are Law and Order's entire focus on solving the case. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit fails at this totally. It spends too much time working through its twenty principals' personal junk.
         I should also mention that Simon Baker is fantastic, spellbinding even. He makes me believe that he might be that smart and talented at reading people, even if he isn't.
         I have also been watching a BBC program on Netflix called Being Human. I was skeptical when I was told that this show about a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost living together was good, but I watched it eventually as the suggestion came from a trusted source and I was not disappointed. This show is really quite good and deserves a watch. It's on Netflix Instant now and its really pretty funny and the characters are more interesting than simple stereotypes. They are just people under extreme circumstances and their reactions are really interesting stuff.
         Well, that's me. I do expect to watch The Other Guys and get something up on it soon. Thanks to all who read this.
         I almost forgot, but I would like to thank who or whatever made me such a hit in Russia. 40 hits from Russia, 5 in Germany, 2 each in the UK and South Korea and 1 each in Ireland and Malaysia. I don't think I've never seen a Russia movie, but I will try to find one.