Medium Mashup

Author: Ross Miller

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

    the-avengers-age-of-ultron_zGf6N1(The top portion of this review will not contain spoilers. However, if you have seen the movie or would like to hear a few more specifics, I will go into details below. That section will contain significant spoilers)

    In a way, Avengers: Age of Ultron is the Iron Man 2 of the Avengers series. It makes a lot of the same mistakes as IM2 did, primarily by trying to stuff in too many plot elements and sequel set-ups for the movie to come together as a cohesive whole. You can feel Joss Whedon stressing out over the movie, as more and more things get piled on while he tries to wrangle a decent Ultron film out of it. I counted at least ten different stories and new character/place introductions in the first half hour alone.

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  • Justified Series Review

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    (This review contains spoilers)

    FX’s Justfified came to a close on Tuesday with a widely-acclaimed finale that defied expectations. Now that we have a complete work to draw from, it is time to look back on a show that was at times great, at times underwhelming, but almost always entertaining.

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  • The Fast and Furious Evolution of a Franchise

    furious-7_rrN3huFurious 7, the most recent entry in the Fast and Furious series, was released on April 3rd. At the time of this writing, it has already earned more than $800 million worldwide. While this number will likely be eclipsed in the summer by such heavyweights as Batman v Superman and The Avengers: Age of Ultron, $800 million is no small amount. In fact, if we’re considering international gross rather than domestic alone, Furious 7 has made more money in two weekends than nearly any film in all of 2014, including Guardians of the Galaxy, American Sniper, Mockingjay, Captain America, and The Lego Movie. The only two films I can find in 2014 that Furious 7 has not eclipsed globally are the final Hobbit movie and Transformers 4, and neither reached $800 million after only two weeks. The Fast and Furious franchise can now consider itself one of the most lucrative in the world.

    So how, exactly, did this happen? How did a $38 million car racing flick featuring a bunch of barely-known actors turn into a global phenomenon? I may have some insight into that. My fiancee Reba and I had not been following this series. Aside from each having seen one full film in the franchise and a handful of scenes, we decided that we were woefully under-prepared for the juggernaut that is Furious 7. So, to get ready (and prepare for the complete Marvel marathon on April 20th-21st here),  we decided to catch ourselves up on every single film in the series over a single weekend.

    What follows is my account, as a Fast-and-Furious-newbie, of the merits (or lack thereof) of each individual installment, as well as a tracking of the series’ evolution from mid-budget racing series to Michael-Bay-grandiose action franchise. You’re welcome. (more…)

  • What is Louie?

    Louie-Middle-fingerLouis CK’s bizarre, critically-acclaimed FX show, Louie, is now in its fifth season. At this point, most series begin to either repeat themselves or rest on their laurels. The time for self-discovery has passed, the audience has certain expectations, and the writers are playing to what has worked previously.

    In a way, this seems to describe the start of Louie’s new season. However, given that the unpredictable nature of CK’s series, what qualifies as a status quo is far from the norm. In fact, last season’s “experimental” structure, which consisted of a six-part episode, a three-part episode, an hour long episode, and three stand-alones, ultimately congealed into what felt like a regular serialized arc. Thursday’s episode, with its strange cult-y potluck and bizarre throwaway lines (such as the pot luck host describing her sperm donor as “my friend from work who is gay and who died”) is more singular and unique than a lot of what occurred in last year’s outlier of a season.

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  • Better Call Saul – Season 1 Review

    better-call-saul_9AYLJi(This post contains spoilers for the first season of Better Call Saul)

    Throughout its first season, Better Call Saul has managed the near-impossible: being an excellent spin-off series. Such a feat requires a very careful balance. If a spin-off simply tries to capture the magic of the original work (Breaking Bad, in this case), then it is doomed to end up a pale imitation of the previous show. On the other hand, if a spin-off goes too far off in the other direction, it risks alienating the very audience that it needs to justify its existence.

    Right out the gates, Better Call Saul establishes itself as a spiritual successor to Breaking Bad with its own distinct worldview. Like the previous series, Saul is heavily focused around its central protagonist, and its portrayal of Albuquerque extends from the character. Several plotlines have weaved in and out of each other in these initial ten episodes, but the show has never strayed too far from its central identity. Better Call Saul’s first season displays a confidence that is exceedingly rare in television, and ultimately stronger than the initial season of its parent show.

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