Terry Reviews/Misc.

Alright Tumblr, we all know how exciting it is. Let your squees of fandom delight echo loudly (or seeing as it is the Internet, what we imagine is loudly) through the air.

Admittedly, Good Omens has only been in my life for a short while. Yet in that while the fandom has been open/friendly with me thus far. I haven’t found many fan arts/fics yet that’s okay. I find individuals who like to talk about such things.

The novel is facinating, detailed, and snarky. I loved it! Going to be re-reading it soon after I read the 12+ books I have on hold for the moment.

I’m sure there are many more who are more afraid than I am about casting. Yet, I am afraid that the characters won’t match my imagination and/or the character personality type. In my head, Crowley has Mark Sheppard’s badassery Crowley-persona (though much more relaxed and less dark), the body type of David Tennant, and a smooth British accent. I want someone who is skinny, thin, well dressed and just awesome actor. I know, I know, I’m probably being overly zealous. What it truly boils down to in the very end, good skills. Am I a tiny bit shallow for wanting someone though that I find attractive? Maybe…but it is okay. AND they should have Crowley terrorizing his plants damn it!

For Aziraphale, I picture someone very proper and tall. Someone who has an aura of sweetness and simplicity. I’ve got no particular individual in mind, but I still want someone taller. Not overly Western styled ideals of uber manly either.

This book is vast, so it is great that they are doing a BBC mini-series as opposed to a movie. Movies would cut too much out. Mini-series have the ability of covering more in more time. I just hope they stick to the book as best as they can. I understand that they can’t fit everything, but still.

And as a real fan-woman moment…I really hope they keep a strong undercurrent of A/C in there. Even if they keep it as an attached platonic love, I want the sense of that through out.

Disclaimer: Look at the disclaimer page for Fair Use notice, and spoiler alert warnings.

Ever have one of those days when the little voice inside just won’t shut the hell up? Well try being Jaye Tyler. Her voices are on the outside, and oh they come out of the mouths of plastic, stuffed, sewed, etc. animals. Fun right? And like all voices that tell one to do something, they are cryptic, never giving her a straight answer and leaving her to figure things out during the run of the episode (by the end things usually get sorted out). Sad, no one else hears these voices, nor do they understand when Jaye does the crazy things she does (such as stapling a shoe lace to a shelf in order to trip someone). One thing happens which leads to many events to unfold in a related, tightly woven, fate driven, and usually messy ride.

The whole show has an air of philosophy about it, questioning reason and the whole free will vs. fate debate. Religion though does not tend to play any significant role in the show and while yes, brought up a few times, is not a key player. Mostly, the ideas of right, wrong, what should one do, what will work out in the world, all of those kinds of philosophical questions float around either in the subtext of the episode, or directly in the spot light. Also, for an extra bit of spice, they chose the reluctant anti-hero for the hero.

Jaye Tyler is a 24 year old, living in a trailer park, working retail under her high school aged boss, and couldn’t be more content in non-society-engagement. She is comfortable being a college graduate without the pressure of expectation of action. Life is faced in a manor of life sucks, oh damn well attitude. Grin and bare it, with as little human interaction as possible (especially from her family). Over all, Jaye isn’t a bad person, more like, non-caring, non-active but with trace elements of likability. So when the little wax lion with the smooshed face starts telling her to do things, who the hell chose her to be the receptacle for messages? At least, that’s what she constantly wonders (that, and her own sanity). Especially when the messages come in cryptic, repeated one liners that if un-heeded leads to being kept up all night by a singing toy wax lion or brass monkey stolen from her therapist.

Pros:

The philosophical elements of this show are played off in a deep and yet humorous manner that can be quite enjoyable. The acting is diverse with a cast that can handle multiple modes instead of being stagnant in one style. Clever plot lines and twists that make the simple, one liner messages wrap up in the end are fascinating to keep in mind and try to figure it out before the end of the episode does it for you. And the over all concept of inanimate animals talking to a person who hates humanity in general and forcing what seems to be positive, fate derived wisedom is just such a unique and fun concept. Through out the show there is the slow development of characters and even significant plot evolution to carry the show beyond the novelty of the talking-animal uniqueness.

Cons:

Sometimes the stories seem to be a bit stale and repetitious in the basic principles. And sometimes the acting can also be a bit flat. Also, the whole free will vs. fate, can seem a bit unsavory. After all, it isn’t fun thinking someone unseen is pulling the strings which causes you to be miserable half the time even if there is a small positive payout for another.

Conclusion:

Wonderfalls is a short, under appreciated show that no longer airs. It has uniqueness that is rare in today’s remake world and would be wonderful to own.

Thank you for reading. Questions, comments, concerns, requests?

-Terry

The appearance of Castiel is looming ever closer in the show Supernatural and I can’t help but think about what will happen. Now, my whole opinion (OPINION, that’s all, you’re free to your’s but please be polite and respect mine) of the Castiel thing was that he wasn’t a villain. As I’m sure many fans of the character himself have noticed, when he rebelled against heaven, died more than once, it was all for the sake of two human beings who treated him like a tool rather than a buddy half the time. Now please don’t mistake that statement as anger towards the boys. I love Sam and Dean, they are what pulled me into the show in the first place. But every now and again I’ve looked back on season five, season six and found that there wasn’t even the benefit of the doubt half the time. They used his abilities often, disregarded his feelings when it came to the deaths of his brothers/sisters (whom he had to kill), and when he said that there was a civil war in heaven, they constantly got angry at him, frustrated (granted, Sam for the better part of season 6 was soulless so I suppose he gets a pass) when he didn’t come down to help them immediately. I understand that this writing isn’t exactly organized and I apologize for that.

Listen, I do know that Sam and Dean (Dean seemingly more) loved Cas very much. However, like Bobby, I think that he was often taken for granted. I found Cas to have been in a very stuck situation, honestly, purgatory to me did seem like a valid option. I would rather Castiel be in charge than Raphael. And I understand things went wrong, I do, the whole be corrupted by power thing (even though a tiny amount of good came from it such as healing of mass sickness and disbanding the KKK) and the swallowing down leviathans, those both were the biggest kinks in the chain. But regardless, watching the whole situation, I understand how it happened, why Castiel was pushed so much into this mess and I am sympathetic to how he ended up.

And remember, I did say that Sam and Dean did love Cas and there were plenty of times that they showed it one way or another. Dean for example, did not want to believe that Castiel was working with Crowley no matter what, until there was no other plausible evidence to the contrary, when Cas himself gave it away.

This whole situation was made of gray. It’s hard to say if the Winchesters would’ve actually found another way for Cas to win a massive civil war that would’ve decided the utter fate of the Earth all for which he’d fought so hard to get rid of. I mean, Castiel went down this whole course for Sam and Dean. He didn’t want them to have to go through this again, to suffer further. The road to heaven is not paved with good intentions sure, but I would like to think that they count for something damn it. Castiel was trying. He wanted to be good, his whole plan was to save the world and, more closer to his heart, his friends.

With his return, I don’t know what will happen. I’m positive (since 7 is the season for character deaths) that he won’t last long. I’m sure that he’ll be around long enough to win forgiveness for the wrongs he did do (hoping anyway). I’m just hoping he doesn’t come back with amnesia, that would just…that would not be okay with me. I really hope that he’ll be around for season 8. I dislike when characters are killed just to make the audience squirm. I really don’t like that. Unless it furthers the plot in some way, I don’t see the need for character deaths just for emotional value (the last Harry Potter book for example) even if death is common (and in this case an elderly man with a sarcastic and jaded sense of reality) for that universe.

What do you guys think of all of this?

ps. Disclaimer is listed on the disclaimer page explaining Fair Use.

-TerryReviews

Disclaimer (also found on the disclaimer page of this blog): All reviews are covered under Fair Use, no money/claim of ownership is being made. All opinions expressed are those of one individual. Thank you.

I’m here to review a few things at once in one long text blog. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

I get interested in fandoms that tend to have waned over time. Meaning that by the time I become interested in them, the show chances are has ended at least 3 years prior and so the only places left to discuss them are on websites such as Tumblr where fans stay solid to their bases even after the final season has come and gone. Scrubs, popular and funny show. I was browsing on Amazon.com to find a DVD to take a chance on and remembered back to my first year of college with one of my roomies. She loved Scrubs, couldn’t go into the room without her watching it. However, it was always a later season.

Not having seen the series from the get go, and remembering, fondly, watching it with my roommate, I took the chance and added it to my cart. The first season of Scrubs is a fast hitting curve ball of originality. One of the best qualities is the random visions that materialize before us as J.D. (the main character) fantasizes to remove himself from situations he is involved. For example, he sees his mentor (Dr. Perry Cox) in full Grinch costume when Dr. Cox goes into a rant about how he hates Christmas. Or seeing himself turn into the Hulk because he just can’t take what is going on. It is hard to explain these little gems of wonderful, unique cinematography and creativity, but just picture yourself when you’re listening to someone, or think about something while having to pay attention to your surroundings, and an idea just pops into your head. J.D. visualizes all of our weird, messed up, thoughts into little blips of moments. The characters are all diverse, with strong personalities and the actors give such deep performances to make us sympathize or laugh. Just in case you weren’t aware, the show is about interns working at a hospital to become fully realized doctors but without all the every episode drama of a typical doctor show.

Okay, now that we got the over glazing of Scrubs off the list, let’s pop off to the next one. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long-Blog, such a short film created on the internet for the internet and from the get go was intended to be free and shared amongst the people. Wow. Firstly, such a great concept of an “evil” guy who is just kind of a normal dude who makes videos for his blog site. His whole blog is about becoming accepted to the prestigious evil counsel and this 30 (roughly) minute movie give a hilarious and glorious musical adventure from Billy’s quest for love and evil respect.

Supernatural Season 7 is all about the hunt to end the leviathans. The leviathans operate behind the scenes, using their powers to change their appearances to match anyone of power and also gain their knowledge. So far, I find the show still going strong and even keeping me guessing with a splash of humor in all of the darkness that we’ve had to deal with as a fandom. The only downside is the happiness at seeing Castiel again and wondering how and why and all of that, but then he’s just going to go away again T.T Damn it. I love so many characters (the boys are absolutely on top) however I get very very attached to a number of the side characters and that just sets me up for hurt.

There you go, three micro-reviews into ONE posting. It isn’t the reblogging stuff that I’ve been doing lately and it isn’t the political stuff that I’ve been comenting on so I hope that you like this.

-TerryReviews

ps. Let me know your thoughts/comments/requests/questions? Side note, I have Amazon.com SO if you guys make requests I have the possibility of actually getting the things your request I review. Let me know?

I know that I have an about page. But hey, thinking about doing random facts for my own blog. It seems fun. Interesting. Maybe I will or will not. I know doing 100 random facts is popular, but maybe I won’t do 100.

I also am intending to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie when it comes out due to the fact that I have a movie pass that was never used. All I have to do is wait 2 weeks AFTER the film has been in the theater and I can go see if for free. I love the character Sherlock Holmes. I own a few movies with different actors, love 2 tv series he’s in, have a Wishbone tape where Wishbone plays Sherlock, and also I have 2 large books of his mysteries. So can you tell that I’m excited?

The next review, I’m still working on because it takes a bunch of thought to figure out WHAT I’m going to review and how I’m going to go about it. Sometimes they are short, sometimes they are long, some are more in depth than others. I’ll do what I’ve done in the past, give a list of things that I’m thinking about reviewing and you guys can choose if you’d like what you’re most curious about?

Choices:

Sly Cooper video games for the Playstation 2

Moon Phase which is an anime that was dubbed by Funimation

LOST

The Big Bang Theory which is a tv show

The movie Coraline

The movie The Lost Boys

Let me know if you guys have any preference?

Random blog time ladies and gents (or gents and ladies if you prefer)!

I went to Black Friday and whilst I did not conquer numerous stores as I had intended, I did get 3 important things to me when I visited a big store that shall remain un-named. I got seasons 3,4, & 6 of Supernatural. We owned seasons 1,2, & 5. Odd I know, but we just had to pick those up when they were available.

An interesting fact, I actually not seen all of seasons 3 or 4 (or even 6). I came into Supernatural during the latter part of season 4 and had been watching it on TV from that point. Backtracking was important and so when seasons 1 and 2 were up for grabs, got them. So I had seen the first two seasons, bits and pieces from 3 and 4, most of season 6, and now I’m caught up to date with season 7. Mixed up right?

The best part? Two of the seasons due to Black Friday, were only $10! $10 for two big boxsets! I was so happy because that meant I could afford them! Yay!!!!

So, haven’t finished my x-mas shopping but I have lowered the list of needed purchases. I only have a small number to shop for. That’s a good thing. How about you all? Do you celebrate x-mas or any other holiday? If so, do you guys give gifts?

I’ve been away for a few days, took some time to get away from the internet and blogging. Just enjoyed some time with loved ones during Thanksgiving and the day after when I got to meet a new addition to the family :)

As far as reviews go, I’m not sure what I’ll be reviewing next, things are busy, work is consuming my time and energy most of the time….So not really sure WHAT I’ll be doing. I haven’t heard much about my previous reviews but I hope that you guys enjoyed them :)

Anyways, that’s all I have for now. Thank you so much for reading this little blurb. Wishing you the best!

-TerryReviews

Disclaimer: All reviews are covered under Fair Use, no claim of ownership is being made on the work reviewed and no money is being made. Warning, there may be spoilers.

Batman and Catwoman have a baby? No, go on! In one of the Batman universes, this is true. A 13 episode spin off about the caped crusader brings to light this very idea, Birds of Prey (not as obscure as I thought when I saw it on the shelf of a main stream store). Helena Kyle is the child of Bruce Wayne and Selena Kyle, half human and half meta-human (think of as a mutant from X-Men). With her strength and skills (which are enhanced greatly because of her being a meta) she attempts to save New Gotham from the crime that munches on the society like a worm does to an apple. Batman is MIA in this short series, after some highly serious issues with the Joker took place. Barbra Gordon (while in a wheelchair), and Dina Redmon (a psychic meta human) team up with Helena to protect and serve under the mysterious, and non-social life permitting, superhero persona.

Cue up the old pow, biff, zap sound affects, these women kick ass. The best part is, sometimes the victories are bittersweet (fitting for a show that fits into the Batman click). The constant theme of acceptance bumps up to the front of the line; living behind a secret identity coupled by meta-human abilities which are feared by “normal” people, keep the team as far away from regular living as possible and bears down on this makeshift family. Helena is clearly most deeply affected seeing as she voluntarily continues visits with her therapists (Dr. Quinnzel).

A short series like this one can go a few different ways ranging from mind blowing to fail. It can be a series of high budgets, best of everything in addition to great acting and teams, to not being highly invested in emotional and/or financially and fall by the wayside (granted, budget doesn’t NOT by any means mean anything in terms of valid story or execution if done right). Sometimes even, series are cut off short because they were used to test the waters in an effect to see whether it should continue into another season. My guess on this one is hard to call. It seems that it could have been worked on longer and made even better, that it was cut off too short by a cancellation notice. However, they capped the series off decently so as to give you an ounce of satisfaction and not feel as if there had been a waste of time (they ended the series on a bittersweet but optimistic note as if to say don’t worry, you might not see it but they’ll be okay).

Good Points: Spin-offs, AUs (Alternate Universes) are difficult to pull off. To make a fresh take on a classic that sits comfortably with the majority of fans and yet can still bring independent viewers is flat out a pain. I feel this series pulled it off. It had good stories, good flow of the underlying story, decent writing for the dialogue. The acting was not always perfect (I felt that sometimes the actors would fall into a bit of a semi-void when it came to expressing their emotions on their faces, either too much or not enough) but it was good in general.

Bad Points: Normally I overlook visual aspects when it comes to it but the repetition of how scenes were set up, fights, things like that, often felt as if they were following a formula half the time, no uniqueness. And on a side note, why do the lead female superheros have to be sexual appealing by regular society standpoints and dress in such a way to amplify that? On one hand, they are a strong, attractive women who wishes to show the fact that they are comfortable in their skin and will kick your ass. But on the other hand, it creates the idea that there must be a sexual quality that is focused on (even if it is subtle or subconscious) when it boils down to female superheros rather than the males just being stylized as powerful with their muscularity. I always believe in dressing how you want and having that freedom period and that people should not judge you (even though we are conditioned to do just that), but it just gets annoying see all the superheros overly stylized, male and female.

Overall, it is a good series with many fine points (not all of which were covered) that I recommend you find for yourself to buy.

Thank you for reading,

-TerryReviews

Disclaimer: All reviews are covered under Fair Use. The opinions expressed are those of one individual, please be respectful and civil if wishing to reply. There are spoilers; fair warning. Thank you for reading.

Becky Rosen, a loser in school and in life as she had called herself in Supernatural 7x08. I just wanted to take a deeper look at the development and the return of this character from a few angles.

Now, we first meet Becky in season 5, an advent reader of the Supernatural books by Chuck Shirley (though he goes under a pen name), she represents the obsessively die hard fan in any fandom. The type of fan who gets genuinely angry if you diss any aspect of the story or the characters. Staying up late to write fanfics, chat on message boards, and dreaming and wishing harder than anything that the story and the characters existed.

Then, she finds out the truth. It’s all real! Everything, right down to her favorite character of all time Sam Winchester. Oh boy was her world rocked! And honestly who wouldn’t be? In real life there are fans who probably would jump for joy if Sam and Dean were actually Sam and Dean and not actors, who were brothers who fought the complex and dangers forces outside of human control, to know that there is more and it is exciting adventure one after the other. On that aspect I get Becky. When she meets Sam and Dean, you can bet it was awkward for the boys, but an over sensualist joy for Miss Rosen (if rubbing Sam’s chest and breathy voice were any indication). She believed in the books and then had confirmation they were real.

But, given her zealous personality and obsession with their lives, the boys are not too responsive to Becky (especially Sam to her advances) but we think that it’ll be alright for both her and Chuck when they hook up. It seems Becky gets over her deep seeded love for Sam and then goes on to be with the author of the book series she’d found solace in during her lonely and loser life. That’s that, no more Becky right? Someone to make the calmer fans cringe, make the boys uncomfortable, and probably there as a laugh in some regard. But I got the vibe that she wasn’t an all bad person, probably smart and interesting if given the chance (in my opinion).

Then a whole season goes by and the only mention we get of this woman is at the tail end of season five where Chuck reveals that he dumped her (not using those words but you got the idea). Skip ahead and now Season 7. Leviathans, the held breath of many Gabriel fangirls that somehow he’ll come back to defeat these creatures based on a story in the bible, the rumors of Castiel coming back into the picture, and in general a mixture of hate, anticipation and love from all corners.

And in between episodes of figuring things out about the Leviathans, good ol’ fashioned hunts are back on the plate along with some random episodes to give us a little variety. I personally love it. Not all the episodes, but a number of them. And in the 8th episode of the season, Becky Rosen appears. Though her appearance is unexpected and that white dress and veil are heart stopping, you can’t help but want to know more and expect something is up when Sam is taking her as his wife while he and Dean are in Vegas. I was excited to see Sam and Becky getting married only for the fact that in the beginning, Sam talked about how once they got passed the books and got to talking, he saw something more in her, she had a deep understanding of the supernatural based on her knowing the books, and she understood the risks of being involved with the Winchester. That made it seem like an actual good match and that maybe there was more to Becky than she was given credit.

Whilst Sam is busy being hubby though, the town where he and Becky lives is full of suspicious activity. People’s wishes are being fulfilled, and then they die shortly after. Couldn’t be a demon, their deals last ten years before pop goes the weasel, right? Sam ends up with Becky and Dean, highly opposed to the match, has to investigate this by himself, or in this case with a hunter Bobby tells him to work with (and he isn’t exactly in sync with Dean let’s just say). Coincidentally Becky’s high school reunion is going on around this time and a number of the victims were going to attend it. And as Dean points out to Sam after stopping by his and Becky’s little love nest, it is Becky’s dream to have Sam be with her, so wouldn’t she also be on the next to die list? After all, those who get their wishes die soon after.

Skip ahead and we find out the root cause of Sam’s marriage and undying love for his number one fan, a love potion that Becky got from one of her friends whom she believes is a Wiccan and turns out is actually a cross roads demon who has been making deals and finding a loop hole to kill his clients early. Peachy. Sam ends up with a knock on the head, tied to a bed without any pants, pissed the hell off and unable to do anything about it unless Becky gives up every single thing that she wants the most, him. She has to even think about a deal for 25 years with Sam’s love, no untimely death guaranteed. And she’s just desperate and miserable enough to do it. Though, she doesn’t.

In the end (and while this may not clear the board completely, it is a step towards redemption (in my opinion)) she makes the right choice to free Sam from the love potion, call Dean and tell him about the demon, and thus give up all her wants and desires forever.

Now, I know what I’m going to say is probably not going to be well recieved but please hear me out before jumping down my throat. There was no excuse for what Becky did. She basically drugged Sam into falling in love with her (though she did not force sex so that’s a small blessing) and that is just wrong. And when the potion wore off, she knocked him out and tied him to a bed so he couldn’t escape. However, this does not mean (to me) that she didn’t set things right (at least a bit) in the end when she turned down the incredible deal that the demon was willing to give her in exchange for her silence. Think about it, 25 years is over double what the normal cross road’s deal is, and she’d be getting her deepest desire. Not only did she set Sam free, but she helped trick the demon so that in the end his deals were canceled and he goes to some place terrible, and she killed a demon in order to save Sam. AGAIN, this does NOT redeem the fact that she took Sam’s will away in the first place, but I just wanted to point out something that I thought was interesting and sad for the character development.

Becky is clearly a miserable woman. She doesn’t seem to have any friends, no social life at all pretty much. She was the joke of her school (and we don’t even know the details really, she could’ve been beaten up for all we know honestly) and it still haunts her. She is lonely and so unhappy and the only place she found solace was in the books Chuck wrote. So, while I do not agree with what she did, I think they developed her enough so that we could gain a bit of empathy for the fact that she was so utterly miserable that she was pushed to the point of forcing love (again, she did not force sex onto Sam) with a love potion. I felt somewhat sad for her for what had led her to the point in which we found her in the episode. She even goes into it, how she is a loser, all of the stuff and why she identified so highly with Sam. It was a good development of the character and I like the fact that even though she won’t earn any forgiveness from either of the boys (and many of the viewers I’m sure), she did choose the right thing in the end which showed to me that she is not completely hopeless and could stand a chance of making something of herself in the future that might help in redeeming herself of this little “adventure”.

So that’s it. Not on Becky’s side for what she did, but respecting the fact that her character was developed a bit further than what was anticipated given her long absence as a sad and clearly very lonely person. Granted, the bullied, hurt, loser who wants to impress all her old classmates with a handsome, kind, smart spouse is not new really, but Becky…I don’t know, she seemed to be a better developed character than what I had first thought back when we’d met her.

That’s all I have to say. You are free to agree or disagree but please keep in mind that I have been civil and care to state that these are my opinions only. So please be polite if you have a comment about this review. Thank you.

-TerryReviews

Disclaimer: All reviews are covered under Fair Use. All opinions expressed are those of one individual so please be civil in expressing differing ones. Warning: there will be spoilers.

Thank you for reading.

In a dusty mill where the one day a week flea market was in full swing, many individuals sold their wares to excitable people happy to make a deal. From moth eaten clothes for Halloween costumes, to three Stooges Action Figures, to classic video games that a gamer would drool over, all found under a singular roof in an incense scented musty antique building.

In a make shift stall a massive collection of television box sets and DVDs are sold by an elderly gentleman willing to let go of some of the prime items for 2,500 pennies. On a top shelf, a dented metal box rested. Band of Brothers came home with me.

I’d never been interested in war films. The sadness and anger I always felt while seeing the re-enactments of all those who suffered during the many wars humanity has put themselves through. Band of Brothers was different for some reason. Perhaps the gentle coaxing of a friend (if you count all caps declarations of how I will love the series gentle coaxing) is what caused the second look. Perhaps the fact that there were a few names I recognized, but neither of these reasons would hold me in place long enough had the series not been worth it.

Based on a book of the same name written by Stephen E. Ambrose about a real paratrooper company in WW2. This being said, it was difficult to look at this as merely another television series. This was something based on real events, real lives from first hand accounts. All of it sad, gritty, strong. And before I review this mini-series as a television series, I must say to the vets, you were/are fine men/women who gave/give up so much for those you loved/love, your country, the world. You are respected highly. Thank you for your service.

Part One: Mini seems a misnomer with this series. Each episode ranges from 45 minutes-1 hour and puts so much into each one. The first episode focuses on the meeting of Easy Company and their CO Sobel who trains them. The 2 years of very strict training at the hands of a (what I am guessing the writers of the show were trying to emphasize the man as not a good person) jackass man who is shown to not be able to handle pressure. The whole cast is breezed by with quick acknowledgments of their names and faces but not enough to gain enough grasp of every person as an individual (that might just have been me I’m not sure). A few of the most powerful scenes in this part were watching Sobel in his harsh treatments of the men and how that helped them build their brother hood. For example, Sobel rifles through the men’s personal belongings even going so far as to read personal letters (which is not allowed). He makes them march more than any other company at their training camp (you’d have to see it to understand why this seems a bit unfair to Easy Company), makes them march miles without allowing them to drink any water and makes them pour it out after the hike is over. He treats them (or so they think) to spaghetti with nice sauce only to make them run up this hill that plays a symbolic role early on. They vomit all over themselves and yet refuse to not run together and even sang in a subtle screw you to their CO. One solider is singled out and forced to run up a 3 mile hill up and down in 15 minutes by himself, members of the company refuse to let him run alone in another show of the bonds forming.

As a side note, Sobel is eventually reassigned some place else before actually facing combat (left to an officer named Winters) so that he does not lead Easy Company to war (which is what the company desired due to the man’s incompetence and lack of ability to cope with pressure).

Another side note, paratroopers were a new concept for this time period and they were considered elite soldiers (according to the making of documentary on the 6th disc in the box set).

Some humor is played out but primarily we see the foundations for what happens later on and how it effects the men for the combat and their friendships. It flies by pretty quick and the transitions are hard to follow as the company goes through the years developing into paratroopers for it is done usually in passes of the camera, changing uniforms in one smooth motion as they run through (or crawl) obstacles. But eventually we get to D-Day. I think HBO somewhat rushed passed the training to get to the more serious stuff of the war. After all, this is a mini-series and with only so many parts allotted it would be hard to include everything. So part one ends with D-Day, they get into the planes and now the event they have been training for, for so long, is upon them.

Part Two: Now is the time to show what they are made of, to apply all that they have been taught, to face danger for the first time. Real danger and strong possibility of death as fellow airplanes are shot from the sky all around and crash to the ground in flames and screams. The paratroopers of Easy Company are placed in numerous planes that will carry them over the beaches and forested areas to which they will drop down to and attempt to over run the enemy. As an audience member watching this, you can’t help feel more pulled in. You see D-day in a strong view point of being in the air as German forces shoot down massive planes carrying young men. Fire, booms, screams all forced at us in shocking visuals and the sight (created with great CG) of hundred of paratroopers drifting across the sky, stunning. This episode is all about that first time rush of finally being there, of the violence, the fear of war, not about passively watching black and white clips from History Channel and say “that’s sad” and move on.

The remaining episodes focus on the combat that happens after D-day, Easy Company’s losses be it by deaths or severe wounds, replacements, tours around Europe and finding concentration camps. I will not reveal too much of these episodes for it would spoil far too much.

Good Points: Visuals for me are of lesser importance than a good story that is well written. That does not mean they do not enhance if they are done correctly. Angles are chosen carefully capturing complicated group shots, scenes enhanced to create a mood with lakes surrounded by fire in the middle of night, or the perfect shot of an outstretched arm stiff with death while the body lays on the mouth of a ditch just a bit out of camera sight so that you can tell it is a body but not much else in the details. Bombs going off knocking trees down with sprays of dirt and flashes of color that shake not only the actors in the scenes but you as a fewer. Vivid, well shot, colored well to affect the mood with highly detailed sets that were well designed. Not to mention the bonus of the shaking camera when running around during battles. It makes it more down to Earth to see your view shake as if you are searching around and running for your life.

Realism, this show has it. The clothes, the machines, the slang, the environments, the feel of war for those of us who’ve never been there and never will be, fantastically executed. While no one can say that it is real and feels like they are there if they have never experienced first hand what war is, this show makes you feel pretty damn close. Authentic and well done with the acting choices that make the people real.

The acting, peaches and creme. Every actor, extras to main cast, no sacrifices spared in finding the correct people.

Shock value is appreciated, makes one tilt their head and say thank you even if it makes your heart break. One such scene are the deaths of two guys who’d been in and out of the show since the beginning. So sudden did the bomb take their lives that there was nothing else you could do but inhale and be unable to process it until a moment had passed. Well done, and oh so sad.

*One negative note, it was hard to keep track of all who came and went. There were a handful of soldiers focused on that I could follow, but even they got mixed in my head when it came to matching name and face.

I have to dare you to watch this show and not feel while doing so. If seeing horrific images of death and destruction would be too much for you, I would have to say stay away. If you can overcome this issue, I recommend this series. It is in 10 parts, on DVD and Blu-Ray (though I have my own personal opinion that Blu-Ray is not worth it). Each episode is long, developed with plot, well written script, accuracy, well acted and filmed with stunning effects to give enhancement. Over all, Band of Brothers was an experience I am glad to have been apart of. It made me think and appreciate more than I thought it would.

Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think or if you have any questions by leaving them in my “Have A Question? I might have an answer” option. I would honestly love to hear from you.

Disclaimer/Warnings: There probably will be spoilers. I do I own Merlin or any of the characters. This review is covered under Fair Use. Please do not be rude in any comment you may be leaving, it isn’t necessary! Thank you for reading! -Terry

At first I never thought I would enjoy yet another thing based on the legend of King Arthur and Merlin the sorcerer, for I’ve watched numerous films and tv special based on or analyzing the myths surrounding these iconic characters. However, with this newer series from BBC I decided to peek behind the curtain.

Picture a highly well written and fleshed out fan fiction that takes cannon elements but creates an alternate universe for them to play out instead. The series is going onto it’s forth season and I’m sure it is being anticipated. I have only seen the first 2 seasons seeing as the third season has not yet been released.

Summery: The story focuses on Merlin and Arthur who are around 20 something in this universe. Merlin being more of the star. He is sent from his small rural village to Camelot to be brought under the learnings of the court physician Gaius by his mother due to his gifts. In this reality, magic is banned from the kingdom by King Uther (Arthur’s father) due to some terrible events in the past (which get explained later on); poor Merlin. Merlin is a very rare type of human, one born with magic. Usually one has to learn how to do it and then practice for their lifetime to become a master. Unfortunate Merlin must learn how to use his abilities, save the day, take care of those whom he loves all while not getting found out as a wizard or it means his head!

Main Characters: There are actually a decently large number of characters that are focused on in this series so I shall try my best to give a decent overview of each.

Merlin: Is a friendly, charming, wanting to do good guy who is passed off as a hapless nitwit that shouldn’t be taken seriously and usually isn’t. Merlin focuses much of his time correcting wrongs into rights (usually using his magic abilities behind the scenes to do so) usually inflicting Uther’s people by Uther himself or befalling Arthur due to a challenge against the prince’s life. He is caught up in a whirlwind of confusion and stress while he tries to perform the duties of being under Gaius’ tutelage, being servant to Arthur and learning when and where to use his powers. Overall he is a kind hearted person who just wants to help and gets very little credit for what he does (if any) and is taken advantage of more often than not. He and Arthur eventually start becoming friends (even if it is an abusive friendship in my opinion).

Arthur: Arthur, plain out is a jerk. He spends a good deal of his time talking down to Merlin and pushing upon the man countless tedious or difficult tasks that build up and up. He is a sarcastic hero-complex type young man that feels that he must prove his honor this way and that way. Thrusting his superiority around more often than not (prideful basically)and a lot of the time must be convinced to go against the wrong judgments of his father even if he knows that his father is wrong. Redeemable qualities I know sound like they’d be hard to find after the negative smack down just now, but he does get better I swear. He slowly starts to understand humbleness, does sacrifice for his people as a whole and does go against his father eventually when the cause is just too strong. *side note at bottom of review *

Gaius: An elderly gentleman, he is wise and friendly. He takes Merlin in as a favor to Merlin’s mother and begins to care for the young man and teach him about his magic. He does what is right mostly
(though sometimes he does seem to turn a blind eye or take the lesser of the two evils. But you’d have to watch to understand what I mean). He would go so far as to die for those he loves and almost did on a few occasions. Gaius is the court physician and even seems to have a medieval forensic lab in the castle where he lives, creating antidotes to poisons and finding treatments to things like brain swelling or even finding evidence to mysterious goings-on in the castle/kingdom. Overall he is a good man that is likable. but like Merlin is to Arthur so is Gaius to Uther. His opinions (despite being in the kingdom for roughly 20 years or so) are treated with very little respect even though he usually is correct.

Uther: Uther is blinded by his hate of magic which took his wife away on the day Arthur was born (I’ll leave you on that cliffhanger in case you want to see this story for yourself :) His hate is so consuming that practically every episode is some kind of fight against magic or those suspected of it. Uther in his angry state cannot be reasoned with if magic is even suspected to be apart of it. He is willing to do great cruelty if he thinks it will keep magic from his kingdom (willing to kill a child for example). He is a suspect and convict without trial, without actually questions or answers, man who has sent many people to the chopping block. He is unkind and flip flops and contradicts his words and actions. Saying one moment that he’ll do something (like treating Gaius with respect) and does something horrible (letting Gaius get tortured). He is that character. You know the one. The one that EVERYONE wants to see get gobbled up by some monster or blasted away in a puff of smoke! I think you can tell I don’t like this man lol.

Guenevere: The maid of Lady Morgana (Morgana is Uther’s ward in this). A soft spoken, roll with the punches woman with a soft voice and a constant apologizing nature. Very sweet and easy going but does tend to get muddled in her words leading to some humorous moments. She becomes the love interest of Arthur even though it keeps getting tangled in the politics of royalty with peasant.

Morgana: A strong woman who attempts to speak out when she sees something wrong, mostly going head to head with Uther and trying to push Arthur into action when injustice is delt or even taking action herself. Poor Morgana is plagued with nightmares every single night. Visions of things that have not yet passed fly passed her mind’s eye and it scares her for if she revealed these dreams, even her neck could be the next under the ax for this is a type of magic. Like Merlin, she was born with this gift. She is Uther’s ward, taken in by the King after her father died in battle and she lothes the man as time goes on. We will have to see where her character goes and how far in her rebelling against the king will take her.

Good Points: The show is a feel good adventure with some good humor and decently thought out stories and characters. It is enjoyable and easy to watch without feeling like it drags on and on. The speech thankfully is not archaic. They could have really laid on the old fashioned speak in this series which wouldn’t necessarily ruined it for me, but I wouldn’t of been overjoyed either. The speech is a mix of old and new and thus easy to understand and accept.

Bad Points: Every time ground is gained in some things (like Uther developing morals or treating Gaius with respect just for example) it withers away by the next episode almost as if it didn’t occur. Not always, such as Morgana’s progressive plot as example, but sometimes it feels that there is back peddling in some areas of the plot/subplots.

Conclusion: While the show isn’t perfect, and what honestly is, it isn’t a bad show. It’s enjoyable, it can make you laugh, put you through emotions and make you think (which is a bonus in my book). I recommend you take a look at the show if you get the chance!

Warning: Spoilers may be contained in this review. This review is fair use and is only of my opinion. You are free to have your own but please be civil when expressing them. Please also keep in mind that I am not a professional writer so please don’t be TOO harsh. Thank you for reading!

Introduction: I must give a round of applause to the modern television show Supernatural. Having been a fan of ghost stories (though I sit with my knees to my chest and peek from the gaps in my fingers when watching them) I must say this show earns my praise.

Overall Summery of the in general plot (focusing on the beginning of the series): The over all theme of the show is taking classic myths and American urban legend, mix it with something like X-Files or M.I.B. (or even the short lived Special Unit 2) and there you have Supernatural. They hunt the monsters who sharpen their claws under the bed, rid you of the ghosts that shove you down the stairs, destroy the demons that would have your soul. All of it tying into folk lore and history. The series (in the beginning) mostly focuses on the mysterious death of the main characters’ mother and their father’s quest to kill the being that took her away from them. In case you hadn’t noticed…trying to not have really OBVIOUS spoilers lol.

The Main Characters:The main characters Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester follow the formula of a partnership that hunt down the evil in the world that goes unseen by the majority. What is refreshing about Sam and Dean is that they have the chemistry of brotherhood to their advantage. As opposed to the male and female, “I love you but am conflicted about it”, “I hate you, but you’re alright”, “Our friendship is so strong that I will go barbarian on anyone who so much as sneezes on you”, partners I’ve seen in numerous shows (not dissing that formula for those can be interesting and I enjoy some shows with that).

Dean: The eldest brother by roughly four years. He is the tough guy with a gun. He has a sense of humor, charisma that pulls you to his character, fierce loyalty to those he loves (mostly his brother) and is over all a decent human being. His inner conflict within himself over his lack of stable life, drive to protect his brother at all costs and suppression of deeper emotions creates a compelling character to help drive the story. Dean is the playboy, high school drop out who never has to commit to a normal life. He faces most dangerous situations with a sarcastic comment and smirk. His whole life he has been loyal to his and Sam’s father who was usually absent from their lives, moving them from town to town, crappy motel to crappy motel, as he went out and killed monsters, leaving Dean in charge to be bother brother and father to Sam. He also has a deep love for his car, an Impala from the 60s, all black and leather seats. He cherishes this car, even calls it baby.

Sam: Sam is the rebellious child. He never wanted the life of a hunter and unlike Dean did not settle into it as smoothly (don’t be fooled, he’s just as skilled). Blind loyalty to their father was not for Sam. Sam is the more emotional, intellectual type. He uses his puppy eyes peeking from shaggy bangs to instill trust and get information as well as his educated mind to research on his beloved laptop whenever there is a creature he and Dean are hunting. Unlike Dean who always spent his life following their father’s orders, hunting the supernatural, Sam tried to break away. Even going to college to become a lawyer and finding a girlfriend (Jessica) as opposed to his brother’s method of one night stands. He got pulled back into the life of a hunter after his brother comes to fetch him when their father (John Winchester) goes missing.

Music:Rock and Roll. Classic rock. It is something I think adds to the show over all because most songs used are classic songs that a majority (I think) of people can enjoy and perhaps even know the words to. It gives a flare of bad ass to the show.

Realism: There is no sense of Scooby-Doo silliness or the scent of cheese when lore is brought up and utilized. There is a feeling when watching that this COULD happen. Things are explained within the confines of an episode without feeling like a time out to explain to the audience. For example, Sam and Dean don’t know what the monster they are currently tracking is, so Sam brings out his laptop and explains his findings to Dean and subsequently to us. I think it flows.

Episodes: A bonus to this show is while there is a common theme that ties the story together and keeps the show flowing, each episode is its own adventure, own monster. This makes the show easier to get into when the story doesn’t need to be followed like a hawk. Especially since the re-cap at the beginning of each episode and consistent references within the show itself make it easy to figure out.

Action: The action sequences are pretty realistic in the terms that the good guys do not always win. And sometimes their victories are bittersweet. They get hurt and tossed around more times than I can count and there is the danger that they will die, they will get hurt. So I think the action is pretty decent.

Conclusion: My overall conclusion is that I enjoy the show. It has gone to season 7 starting soon (July I think) or has already started back in June. I have watched the majority of the show and I must say (without giving much away) that it ups the ainty. The wow factor just keeps building and the shocks never ending. I enjoy this show. To me, it is one of the most in depth, interesting show of the last 5-6 years. I give a standing ovation! I know that my review is not the most IN depth or most perfect, well written piece, but I hope that you liked it. Thank you for reading!