August 2012

The Newsroom – The Greater Fool

  • Title: The Newsroom – The Greater Fool
  • tv.com: link

“For the rest of us to profit we need a greater fool… The greater fool is someone with the perfect blend of self-delusion and ego to think that he can succeed where others have failed.”

newsroom-the-greater-fool

The First Season finale begins with the hospitalization of Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) brought on by a bleeding ulcer, a hatchet job by Mackenzie’s (Emily Mortimer) ex-boyfriend (Paul Schneider) in The New Yorker, and an overdose of anti-depression medication. By the end of the week, despite his eagerness to throw in the towel and walk away, Will is back at the anchor desk reporting on voter disenfranchisement, the fallacy that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and calling out the Tea Party as “the American Taliban.” So much for playing nice for ratings.

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Hey it’s another Justice League team. Um…

Justice League of America

Okay, so I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Stargirl is going to be part of the New 52. Forgetting, for the moment, that the character makes no sense without the JSA (which never existed on this Earth), I’m happy to see one of DC’s young blonde heroine returning to the fold (even if it is the wrong one!). Here’s the bad news, Stargirl with be a part of the new Justice League of America featuring the Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Katana, the (yet to be named) new Green Lantern, Hawkman, Vibe, and Catwoman. Really DC? Fucking Vibe?! And Katana and Catwoman (both of who are fugitives in the New 52)? The comic will be written by Geoff Johns (who’s given us the very uneven Justice League) and drawn by David Finch (who’s given us the truly awful Batman: The Dark Knight). So, um, Yah?

[via CBR]

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13

tmnt-8-coverI’ve been very happy with the IDW’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which makes this month’s issue all that more perplexing. The biggest difference is Andy Kuhn, and his far rougher style, stepping in for artist Dan Duncan who, until now, had done the art for every issue of the series. Although I prefer the art from the original Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird run I had grown accustomed to Duncan’s style. The difference in the book’s look is striking, and not in a good way.

Also problematic is how much exposition and plot summarization of the comic up until this point is passed off as attempts at natural dialogue. I assume the idea was to use the issue to help get readers up to speed who reading the title for the first time, but the effect doesn’t do the actual story any favors.

The main story points have to do with the Turtles killing time after saving Splinter while The Shredder (who is drawn for the first time with pupils instead of zombie eyes) finds only disapproval with his granddaughter Karai. There’s also the return of the subplot of Casey Jones and his abusive father. For fans.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Community – The Complete Third Season

  • Title: Community – Season Three
  • tv.com: link

community-season-three-dvdThe Third Season of Community, and final season with show creator Dan Harmon as show runner, is highlighted by a video game episode that features 8-bit versions of the cast working to save Pierce’s (Chevy Chase) inheritance from the evil Gilbert (Giancarlo Esposito), the introduction of Inspector Spacetime, the Air Conditioning Repair School, the Dreamatorium and Evil Abed, the study group being told Greendale isn’t a community college but an insane asylum, an all-campus war between pillow forts and blanket forts, and a near-perfect Law & Order parody.

The season starts out a little slow with a handful of good, but certainly not great, episodes. However, things pick up “Remedial Chaos Theory” which shows us how a single roll of the die could alter the future of each character in both big and small ways. We also get another Glee-ful Christmas episode, Annie (Alison Brie) moving in with Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi), and a disastrous attempt to make a new commercial for the school spearheaded by Dean Pelton (Jim Rash).

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