Tin Man - Part 2

I got to sit down and watch the second part of SciFi's Tin Man last night. I have to say that I liked the second part much better than the first. Obviously, the first third of the series was intended to introduce everyone to the characters and their surroundings. That alone tends to make a very boring story, especially when these are based on characters that we already know. In this part of the trilogy, we find out why Azkadallia is evil and DG's role in the O.Z. We also find out why Glitch's brain was stolen plus there's a bit of insight into Raw's character. After wondering how they were going to work him into the series, we finally get to meet Toto, though he's quite a bit different from the barking dog we're familiar with.

I don't want to give any spoilers away for those who, like me, weren't able to watch the show on it's original air date. I am definitely looking forward to the last part of the series. I think I may even be a bit sad when it ends.

America's Most Smartest Model - Episode 9

The more I watch this show, the more I realize that it's not about being a SMART model. It's about being a sneaky, manipulative model. It annoys me. I liked the show better when it stuck to its premise. Last week we saw Pickle getting the big heave-ho. This put the model headcount at 5. For the Edge Challenge, the models are once again asked to break into pairs. But wait, it's an uneven number! So one model has to volunteer to get screwed and be alone. Brett steps up to that challenge. Rachel pairs off with Andre and VJ goes with Angela. Then it is revealed that the teams will need to build a go-kart. But wait, not all of the teams get to participate! Only the two fastest go-kart building teams, with correctly built karts, get to race. Angela, who claims to have spent her childhood fixing cars with her dad, and VJ finish their kart first. After having to make a few adjustments, Rachel and Andre finish second. Poor screwed over Brett gets nothing.

To win the Edge Challenge, the two racing teams must compete. Angela and VJ get the pole position since they won the first half of the challenge. But can they beat Rachel and Andre in racing? While Angela claims that she can build a car, she knows nothing about driving one. She takes the corners wide leaving the perfect opportunity for Rachel to grab the lead. As Angela tries to catch up to Rachel, she spins out. Of course, this annoys VJ. Then the boys jump into the karts for their laps. Andre sweeps the floor with VJ. The victory and the Edge goes to Rachel and Andre.

When the models get back to the house, they find a note for them. They are to decide who they think should be eliminated. If the person they pick does not win the Callback Challenge, they are automatically eliminated. Since the Alliance is still in place, VJ's name goes into the envelope.

The Callback Challenge this week is to be a spokesperson for a Jaguar. Rachel and Andre get the specs on the car so they'll know what they are talking about. Sneaky, manipulative VJ calls his friend to gather all the info he can on the car. Despite being filmed doing this, there is nothing from the producers or judges about this. I guess the "edge" is only an edge as long as your competitors decide to play by the rules of the game. Cheating is A-OK here! It's even encouraged!

Arriving at the Jaguar headquarters, the models are given some basic information on the car they will be talking about. Then the models are sent out one by one to give a presentation with what they have learned. However, most of the models have a problem with the rotating stage. VJ, in a surprisingly non-cheating move, simply steps off the rotating part. Angela moves so that she is always at the front of the stage. Rachel, Brett and Andre all blew their speeches. Brett actually dropped the f-bomb in front of the audience. When it came down to announcing the winner, Mary Alice declares that it's a tie and BOTH VJ and Angela win the Callback Challenge.

Wait, what? Let me say this again: BOTH VJ and Angela WON the Callback Challenge. We're down to the last five models on the show and they are going to take two of the models out of the elimination? That's a little ridiculous. On top of that, Mary Alice sends a bottle of champagne to VJ and Angela. No, that's not showing favor there at all. At this point, I would really like Mary Alice to be thrown off the show.

At the elimination, Andre, Rachel and Brett are on the line. Mary Alice was SURPRISED that VJ's name was in the envelope but since he can't be eliminated, that doesn't really matter. I'm not really sure why she was surprised. I'm thinking that she's not really paying any attention to the actual competition. She's just picking who she happens to like the best. In the end, Rachel is the first one thrown out. Yes, I said FIRST one thrown out. In a somewhat surprising move, Mary Alice tosses Brett out too. The only reason it's not completely surprising is because I now hate Mary Alice and think that she taught VJ how to be a sneaky bastard.

Next week is the finale episode. We're left with Andre, VJ and Angela. I have this sickening feeling that VJ will win. I would like Andre to win just because VJ is a slimeball and Angela is annoying. However, I don't think Mary Alice will let that happen. She might let Angela win but I think it'll be her personal favorite, VJ, that will take the crown. It's too bad he's such a douche.

Tin Man - Part 1

Last night was the first part of SciFi's new three-part miniseries, Tin Man. The story is loosely based on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz series. Zooey Deschanel plays DG, a young woman who is transported from her small, rural farmhouse home to the Outer Zone, more commonly known as The O.Z. As she searches for her parents, who were also pulled into this new world, she befriends some strange characters. First, we meet Glitch (Alan Cumming), a man with half of a brain. The other half was stolen by the evil sorceress Azkadallia (Kathleen Robertson) because he knew too much about something but he can't remember what. Next the pair meets Wyatt Cain (Neal McDonough), a former police officer or tin man. Azkadallia's soldiers tortured him and his family before locking him in a suit of armor to watch a recording of the horrors repeatedly. Finally, the trio comes upon Raw (Raoul Trujillo), a psychic empath with healing powers. DG rescues him from being eaten by another creature.

I won't post spoilers here for those of you that haven't seen the series yet. Assuming that most people are familiar with The Wizard of Oz, I will let you know that DG and her friends make the trek down the brick road to meet the Wizard. There are definitely some variations from the Judy Garland version that we all know and love but that doesn't make the miniseries bad. I found the first part to be highly enjoyable. While it isn't an exact retelling of the story, I liked trying to figure out who was representing whom. The second part starts tonight, though we are recording it so we can watch the season finale of Heroes. If you missed the first part, SciFi is rerunning it tonight at 7PM Eastern, just before the second part starts at 9PM.

Jmovie review: Honey & Clover

honeyclover.jpg Title: Honey & Clover Release date: 7/22/06 Genre: Romance, Slice of Life Cast: Sakurai Sho, Aoi Yuu, Seki Megumi, Kase Ryo, Iseya Yusuke Plot: A group of art students try to make sense of life and love. What is good: The acting isn't terrible. What is bad: It takes a long time for the movie to get even vaguely intersting. Letter rating: C- Overall: I haven't read the manga that this movie is based on but I have seen the anime adaptation, which I thought was mind-numbingly boring. The movie is pretty much the same. There were some minor changes from the anime version. I chalk this up to the fact that the movie is only about 2 hours long while the anime ran for 26 half-hour episodes. Either way, I'm guessing the source material is as boring as the two adaptations. We aren't given any real reason to care about these characters or why we should be pulling for them to be successful in their lives. When the characters begin to get interesting, they all stop talking to each other, tossing us back to not caring anymore. This much be fairly popular in Japan since there will be a drama series starting next year. I can only hope that the drama will give a little more oomph to the characters.

Game review: Holly: A Christmas Tale

My daughter frequently asks to play hidden object games with me. Since she's learning to read, the lists help her recognize words. For the Christmas season, we decided to give Holly: A Christmas Tale a try. You help Santa as he prepares to deliver toys on Christmas Eve. This game actually has two parts - a hidden object part and a find the differences part. Sadly, it is extremely difficult. Objects are frequently hidden behind other objects in both sections. We were able to tough it out and stick with it through the entire 60-minute demo but it's not something that we will be paying for. I probably would have given up on it if I was playing by myself. People are who looking for something more difficult than a normal hidden object game might enjoy this but I think that it will be too frustrating for most people.

Favorite Friday

From 1993 through 2005, there were a series of Sailor Moon musicals performed in Japan. The first actress to play Sailor Moon was Anza. She held the role from 1993 to 1998. An amazing singer, Anza is now the singer for Head Phones President. Here is my favorite performance from Anza as Sailor Moon. Knockin' Down Hesitation.

Tie Downs

I am currently in the process of getting rid of my station wagon. When my husband and I used it for transporting a lot of boxes, we really could have used some good tie downs to stop all the stuff from shifting all over the place. My father has a couple of different sets of straps that he uses on his truck but we never bothered to get any for the wagon. First we didn't think we'd be moving a lot of things. Then we thought that we packed the rear portion tightly enough that things wouldn't shift too much. Luckily, we never broke anything. Our new car doesn't have as much trunk space as the station wagon did so hopefully we won't need to strap anything down back there. This post is sponsored

Jdorama review: Maison Ikkoku

maisonikkoku.jpgTitle: Maison Ikkoku Broadcast date: 5/12/07 Genre: Romance Cast: Itoh Misaki, Nakabayashi Taiki, Kishimoto Kayoko, Kishibe Ittoku, Takahashi Yumiko Plot: Godai (Nakabayashi Taiki) is a rounin, a student who has failed his college entrance exams, with obnoxious neighbors distracting him from studying. When Otonashi Kyoko (Itoh Misaki) becomes the new apartment building manager and moves in, Godai falls in love with her at first sight. He hopes to pass his college entrance exam so he can win her heart. What is good: It stays true to the anime. What is bad: It is boring. Letter rating: D Overall: I did not like the Maison Ikkoku anime. While I generally like romance stories, this seemed to be about people who were either complete losers or completely oblivious to the world around them. This drama sticks close to that synopsis. Very little got accomplished in this two hour drama. We were introduced to some characters and one plotline was completed. Everything else is left hanging. It felt like this was a prologue to a new series or possibly the beginning of a series of specials.

I wish there would have been a bit more external conflict in the series. As it is, almost all of the conflict in the story takes place within Godai. Even the annoying neighbors don't present any real conflict since Godai just lets them walk all over him. If you are a fan of Maison Ikkoku, you might enjoy this but don't expect to get any resolution out of it.

Johnny Depp

I've never considered myself a Johnny Depp fan. I guess, on some level, I still picture him starring in 21 Jump Street. Man, I just aged myself. Anyway, I've found myself enjoying a lot of his recent movies. I absolutely loved him in as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, of course, Captain Jack in Pirates of the Caribbean.

While he has so many great moments in Charlie, I think my favorite was when the children first enter the chocolate factory. Willy has a whole animatronic puppet show to introduce him and he's not even up there! He's busy watching the show with the kids! I must have watched the movie dozens of times and that scene still makes me laugh.

I think my favorite scene from the Pirates series is when Captain Jack was running away from the island natives. Something about Johnny Depp in all the wacky makeup running on top of a huge wheel makes me smile. That reminds me, I still need to watch At World's End. I may find a new favorite scene.

In my opinion, Willy Wonka definitely beats out Captain Jack as my favorite Johnny Depp character. Then again, I am really looking forward to his performance in Sweeney Todd What? You haven't heard about it? Go visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site and watch the trailer. Right now. I'll wait.

All done? Good. Doesn't that look like an amazing movie? Tim Burton directing Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman. I predict much awesomeness. I wonder if I can convince my family to have Christmas at the movie theater this year. If you need more information, visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace.