The Great Gatsby and the Great Ad Campaign

The Great Gatsby

            If you've turned on your television in the past few days or been to a movie, you've surely seen the bombardment of advertisements for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.  Honestly, I don't mind it.  The ads may not be quite as profound or moving as I Dreamed a Dream playing out over landscapes and revolution tragedy a la Les Mis, but every time a promo comes on, I find myself unable to change the channel.  The soundtrack, produced by Jay Z and featuring music from Florence and the Machine, Jack White, and the like, adds to the pull of the adaption of the beloved novel.  Gatsby is proving to be one of my most anticipated films of the summer.  Here's hoping the promos live up to the fun and drama they promise this May.

Rupert Grint goes Into the White

Rupert Grint Into the White

         Rupert Grint (of Ron Weasley fame), along with David Kross (War Horse, The Reader) wage a personal war when both German and British soldiers are trapped in the bitter and cold wild during WWII in Into the White. The questions rage.  Who is the real prisoner of whom?  Who is the enemy?  Can they survive alone or together?  The conflict, which is based on a real story creates quite a unique situation.  I am very excited to see this film either when/if it hits U.S. theaters or when it appears on blu-ray.  It is already available on Amazon on Demand for around ten dollars.  Watch the trailer for Into the White here.

Call the Midwife: Surprisingly Wonderful

Call the Midwife

              While I can be drawn into the clipped heels and vowels of a good British program as much as the next anglophile, I didn't immediately seek out the British import Call the Midwife.  I'm not sorry for it either, considering I got to marathon through the short first season and jump straight into the second, which airs on Sundays at 8:00 on your local PBS station.  Based on the memoir of Jennifer Worth, a midwife working in 1950's East London, Call the Midwife is shockingly great.  Considering how close the 50's are to present day, it is quite a shock to see the conditions of life and labor.  With weekly cases and drama, the show sucks you into the lives of the hard working nuns and young midwives as well as the everyday people who keep them so busy.  The music and atmosphere of the show takes you back to a foreign time that wasn't so long ago. More than anything, the show has a big bleeding heart that causes your heart to bleed right along with it. Check out the first season of Call the Midwife on instant Netflix.

Doctor Who: The Rings of Akhaten

Doctor Who and The Rings of Akhaten

          In last nights episode of Doctor Who, titled The Rings of Akhaten, The Doctor once again encountered themes of religion, science, and love.  This time, The Doctor and his new and very mysterious companion Clara (she's died twice already, but doesn't seem to remember/be the same person) find themselves on a planet that worships and sings to a god (actually an alien) to keep it asleep.  The real meat of the episode came with Clara's backstory, where we found out the importance of a leaf (it set up the meet-cute between Clara's parents) and that Clara's mother died, but not before promising she would always find Clara.  There is significance in learning Clara had a normal upbringing, considering the mystery surrounding her.  I could feel the theorists heads churning throughout the episode.

         Here is why I love even the less exciting episodes of Doctor Who-the show always gives you something deeper to chew on and encourages you to not only think and question with your mind, but also your heart.  Whatever your believes, Doctor Who forces hard thoughts.  For example, yesterday's episode questions the origin the universe and the commitment of faith.  While I can disagree with some of the theology and theories of the show, I appreciate that it isn't afraid to go into the deep and dangerous depths. That's just it though.  The Doctor's companions always question him, so of course the viewers (who are a sort of companion on The Doctor's adventures) should question him and the show.  I'm grateful Doctor Who respects the intelligence and depth of its fans.  Keep it up Doctor Who, we'll follow along, just be prepared for questions.

The Impossible: Possibly the Best Film I've Seen in a LONG Time

The Impossible Naomi Watts and Tom Holland

             See The Impossible.  See it now.  It is the kind of moving, transformative story that most films wish they were.  The fact that this film didn't sweep the Oscars makes me all the more removed from them.  Naomi Watts stars as Maria, the matriarch of a family of three young boys and wife to Ewan McGregor's Henry.  The family takes a vacation to Thailand, all the while fretting over life at home.  Two days into their vacation, their world is crushed as the tsunamis strike.  With staggering realness, the film follows Maria and her older son Lucas (Tom Holland) as they fight through the flood and debri.  Maria is extremely wounded and must rely on her young son to take care of her.  Lucas (Tom Holland) goes from boy to man as he literally carries is mother up a tree, drags her to a hospital, and tends to the wounded and lost.  Don't get me wrong, Watts deserved an Oscar for her performance as Maria, but man did Holland carry the film.  His perspective and growth is what holds the audience in a suspension of hope. His relationship with his mother is the force of the film. The fact that he didn't even get a Best Actor or even Best Supporting Actor nod is ridiculous.

           While I won't spoil the film entirely, I will say it is based on a true story and is both tragic and beautiful.  Every part of the film reveals the ugliness and beauty of the humanity with such potency as the family fights to find each other once again. I was beyond affected by The Impossible, whose name in part comes from a line in the film about the wonderful and impossible mystery of knowing which of the shining stars are dead and which are still living.  Their lights all still burn.  In this film of disaster and survival, there couldn't be a better metaphor.  Watch the movie, listen to the fantastic soundtrack, and witness The Impossible.

Doctor Who: Monks and Motorbikes are Cool

Doctor Who The Bells of Saint John

           Doctor Who fans rejoice.  The Doctor is back, and we have yet another strange thing to be afraid of.  This time, The Doctor battles malicious wi-fi which sucks you into an eternal cloud if you click on it.  Along the way he meets Clara, a modern nanny who wants to travel the world but stays where she is out of love for the family, who lost their mom.  Clara isn't as she seems, as Whovians know.  The Doctor has already met different versions of her, and in both stories Clara dies.  Well, not this time.  Using wit and a smidge of computer hacking skills, the Doctor saves himself a new companion and sets up the second half of the season as a great way to introduce the mystery of who Clara is.  It's refreshing to have a mysterious character other than The Doctor.  Jenna Louise Coleman is more than equipped to play the next companion. I only hope that Matt Smith stays on for a while longer.  Rumors are swirling about a departure next year.  For now though, Whovians rejoice, for monks, bowties, Jenna Louise Coleman and Matt Smith are all cool. Geronimo season 7! Get ready for the next chapter!

Television Marathons: Burn Less Calories, More Brain Cells

Deep in Phase 4 of Television Marathoning

         Watching television shows is no longer a sprint followed by weeks of waiting.  Now days, thanks in huge part to Netflix and Hulu instant streaming along with the occasional box set, we can blissfully marathon through seasons of television in days.  Is it healthy?  Maybe not.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely!  Yes, I will warn you there are side effects.  People tend to speak in slightly affected accents and expect footmen after barrelling through three seasons of Downton Abbey.  If you start watching Community you'll find yourself inserting "Troy and Abed in the morning" into inappropriate situations.  Catch vampire fever and cram three seasons of Vampire Diaries then try not to sound you're thirteen when you tell everyone, "No seriously, it's not cheesy.  It's one of the best shows of television."  Speed through Scandal and your sudden overconfidence will cause you to start giving Olivia Pope style speeches about how equipped you are to handle any and everything.  Sure, you'll sound insane when you start ranting to all your friends about the smoke monster, but you'll be blissfully unaware because you'll be deep in Phase 4 obsession of your show.

         That brings me to The Phases of Television Gorging:

Phase 1: Watch episode one of a series with many, many episodes.  The pilot intrigues/amazes/or at least peaks your interest.

Phase 2:  You "accidentally" watch six episodes in a row, only stopping when absolutely necessary.

Phase 3:  You confuse real life with the show.  This means when characters inevitably die/betray each other...you are unreasonably devastated.  Ugly crying and anger soon follow.

Phase 4:  You're beyond saving, so deeply invested in the series your priorities have shifted.  Sleep is overrated, you have to find out what happens to Amy and The Doctor as they battle the Weeping Angels.  You cannot sleep when Sydney Bristow may have finally destroyed SD6.  They need you.

Phase 5:  The show ends.  You cannot move on.  Your life is confusing to you.  The show either completed, was canceled, or there are no new episodes except for on actual television.  Nothing is as it was.  (If said show is Sherlock, you curse the calender and wait, wait, wait.)

Phase 6:  You find a new show to consume in giant bites.  Rinse and repeat, let the phases start again.  Sunlight and real life are overrated anyhow.

           Don't be ashamed.  While we all must live in the real world and venture into the outside world, for those random stay-cations or lazy weekends, give in to the call.  Press play on episode 1.  If you don't like it, just pick another show!

         Looking for a show to marathon through? I'm considering The West Wing for myself, so that I'll start speaking unnaturally fast.  A quick list of shows I'd recommend include:

Lost

1.  Lost -It remains one of the most profoundly moving shows on television.  It valued characters even more than its elaborate plot and inspired a new wave of television.

2.  Doctor Who-I am all about spreading this wonderful gem from the U.K. about a clever, silly, and sometimes tragic time traveling alien who saves the earth and shows us what it means to be human.  Don't start at episode 1.  Watch Blink first, then jump in at Season 5 (Trust Me, Doctor Who regenerates and reinvents, it is a good place to start).  When you get hooked, you'll go back and watch Seasons 1-4 of the reboot, and maybe even the old school episodes (Doctor Who turns 50 this year).

Alias

3.  Alias-Created by the mastermind of Lost, Alias follows the very lovable, but fierce Syndey Bristow (Jennifer Gardner) as she takes down the organization she thought was the CIA by playing a double agent.  Part spy thriller, part story of friendship and love, Alias is well worth a marathon.  The pilot is genius.  One of the best pilots, period.

Scandal

4.  Scandal-Just watch it.  The hype is not a joke.

Sherlock

5.  Sherlock- This British show stars Benedict Cumberbatch (the new villain in Star Trek Into Darkness) as Sherlock and Martin Freeman (Bilbo) as John in a modern spin on Sherlock Holmes.  Beyond smart, this show is easy to watch, considering as there are only 6 episodes.  Each one is like a film.  Watch it and then wait in earnest for season 3.

Friday Night Lights

6.  Friday Night Lights- I need to marathon through this one.  I've seen many of the episodes, but never managed to see them all in order.  You don't have to love football to obsess over this very heartfelt show.

The Vampire Diaries

7.  Vampire Diaries- Surprise yourself by how good this show is.  I dare you.

Community

8.  Community- Last summer, I watched all the episodes available and LOVED IT ALL.  A comedy with the chops to have video game , D&D, paintball, and even cartoon themed episode is worth a view.  Without being cloying, it makes you laugh and cry.

Downton Abbey

9.  Downton Abbey- In marathon form, you will become beyond obsessed with the sometimes trivial, but weirdly entertaining world of the wealthy Brits.  If you've already seen the episodes and are going through withdraw, watch Call the Midwife.  I recently watched the 6 episode first season in a few days.

Once Upon a Time

10.  Once Upon a Time- While the second season has been mixed, the first season of the show is very addictive when watched in a few days.

Game of Thrones

11. Game of Thrones- Way better to watch in marathon.

The Pillars of the Earth

12.  The Pillars of the Earth and World at End- Both ten part miniseries which will suck you into royal and church intrigue before you can help yourself.

Firefly

13. Firefly- Just watch it.  One season of awesomeness.  No excuse.  Do it.  I ended up watching the show in a day and the movie the next.

The IT Crowd

14. The IT Crowd- British comedy at its best.  I can still re-watch this show many times over and love it.

          There's so many more out there.  Everything from Veronica Mars to Cougar Town.  Happy watching!