The Top 10 Everything of 2011

What’s that you say? It’s mid-February, and I’ve managed to yet again go several weeks without posting, in addition to never finishing reviews of the last releases of 2011, and never listing my favorite movies, TV shows, actors, and actresses of 2011? Well now, that’s just rude. Of course, this “end” to my procrastination comes just in time for me to go to Italy for a week, so don’t expect this to be the beginning of a waterfall of posts… Read ahead and find out, very belatedly, what I chose as the best of 2011. I have trouble putting things in numerical order beyond a certain point, so these lists are purely alphabetical. BUT there will be a star next to my “Number One” on each list. Enjoy!

So Much TV, So Little Time

It’s quite obvious at this point that I have been rather lax in posting for the past week or so. There are two culprits that I would like to blame for this: the primary offender is “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (more on that in another post!), but the second issue is that there is simply too much good TV to keep ahead of! I mean it. When even surgical soap operas in their eighth season (here’s looking at you, “Grey’s Anatomy”!) are churning out high-quality episodes with fully-developed plots, what’s a boy to do? Collapse into a pile of overwhelmed, TV-loving tears? Fear not, that didn’t actually happen, but this epidemic of good television definitely needs to be discussed a bit more.

New Ratings System, Because Everyone Loves a Report Card!

I’ve been thinking a lot since starting this blog about whether or not I should actually institute a ratings system. I try to make my comments be very clear about whether or not I am actually a fan of a show or a film. That said, I also think that it’s pretty useful to actually be able to quantify this sort of thing, and I figure that I’ve been doing that plenty on my Rotten Tomatoes page already anyway. So from here on out you can expect to see a basic lettered grade at the end of every review (and, for those movies/TV premieres that I have already reviewed, you can look at the nifty new tabs at the top of the homepage for the scores I would have given them). Rating TV shows can be difficult, since episodes are always uneven, so the shows that I regularly review will have a second grade that changes weekly, assessing the season so far. Here’s what you can assume from a given letter (and note that some letters are skipped, because I really don’t see the point of a +/- system below a B-, and Ds shouldn’t exist. If you deserve a D, you deserve an F. At least where movies are concerned.):

“Stan”ding Room Only (Bahaha I Made a Funny!) for Lee: Montreal Comic Con, Day 2

Montreal Comic Con 2011 concluded today, with a combination of great moments, major disappointments, and even more people in their underwear getting spray-painted (no pictures this time, though!…more on that later). After yesterday’s spendfest, my wallet felt a little healthier today, as did the geek buried not-very-far-beneath-the-surface. My feet, on the other hand, still hurt thanks to the unnecessary extra hours of standing accumulated courtesy of some pretty atrocious planning.

Is That a Naked Woman Being Spray-Painted Into a Wonder Woman Costume?: Montreal Comic Con, Day 1

The two day Montreal Comic Con started today at Place Bonaventure in (duh) Montreal. I showed up at opening time and stayed until the last panel of the day had finished in order to take in all of the sights, singing, and stars. You would be right to consider this a massive geekfest, but for those geeks lucky enough to attend, it’s also a surreal chance to meet idols, artists, friends, and local salespeople.

First Confessions

Here are just a few of the things that you can look forward
to from this blog:

As often as I can get to the cinema, I will be posting
reviews of the latest releases, whether they be major Hollywood blockbusters, limited
run indies, or anything in between.

Every Tuesday – TV Tuesday, if you’ll humor me – I’ll let
you know what one show you should watch each night from Sunday through Friday,
and what shows you should check out online or from your DVR on Saturday. Reviews
of these shows and others will be posted throughout the week.

On Thursdays – Throwback Thursday, since I clearly like
kitschy alliteration – I’ll be dusting off a DVD from my collection and
reviewing a hit that you might have missed.

I will also be posting quarterly previews of the coming film
and television season, in addition to reviews of the season currently ending.

Coming up this week, you can look forward to a recap of what
happened in theaters and on the small screen in summer 2011, in addition to a
preview of what you can look forward to in the run up to Hollywood awards
season and the exciting fall TV premiere schedule. Also, check back later in
the week for reviews of “Contagion” and “Drive,” in addition to reviews of
three season premieres I’m really looking forward to – “Parenthood,” “Survivor,”
and “Archer.”

The Confessions of a Filmaholic

In contemplating starting an entertainment blog, I have often
found myself wondering about the futility of this idea. A simple Google search
using the term “entertainment blog” yields over 2 billion results! That said,
the thing that I love the most about film and television is that everyone
brings their own unique experiences to a viewing. Any interpretation is valid
if you can support it; any opinion is legitimate. Well, unless you think that “Bride
Wars” was the highlight of Anne Hathaway’s career or that “Battlefield Earth”
was cheated out of a deserved Oscar in 2001 by “Gladiator.” If that’s the case,
then you are beyond help.

Ultimately I decided that, even with the plethora of
opinions floating around the Internet, I do indeed have something original to
contribute to the ongoing dialogue between the public and the entertainment
industry. My long love affair with film, television, and, yes, awards shows,
has lent me a voice both critical and admiring. I have determined to add that voice
to the many calling for Hollywood to be held accountable for the quality of its
product.

Like most, my love of all things entertainment starts with a
few fond memories from early childhood. I can clearly recall the first time I watched
a movie on the big screen: the year was 1995, and five-year-old me could not
have been more excited to see “Pocahontas” with my family. I was so excited, in
fact, that I started to cry less than two minutes into the trailers and we had
to leave. A similar vein runs through my first memory of watching TV. It involves
me sitting in a chair screaming and crying while watching “Tiny Toon Adventures”
on the day that we moved when I was just four years old. Not because we were
moving, of course, but because I wouldn’t be able to see the next episode!

On some level, I am still that bawling child. A few things
have changed: when I was nine, I finally did see “Pocahontas.” Long gone are
the mornings of watching “Tiny Toon Adventures” on a 10-inch black-and-white
screen, as are the days of breaking down at the drop of a hat. I will go to the
ends of the Earth, though, to see a quality movie or episode of television, or
to see a fantastic actor get his or her due.

That is roughly what the goal is of this blog. This will
from now on be my first stop in celebrating the best that the entertainment
industry has to offer. On those occasions that I am instead subjected to the
worst that is coming out of Hollywood and elsewhere, you can rest assured that I
will let it be known. In the coming weeks you can expect to find reviews of the
latest releases in the cinema, on TV, and on DVD, in addition to previews
helping you schedule your trips to the cinema or to your couch, and, of course,
my thoughts on what will happen during the annual awards season.

These are the opinions of an entertainment aficionado. These
are the ramblings of an amateur reviewer. These are the confessions of a
filmaholic.