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Jeremy Renner is reportedly in negotiations to replace Christian Bale in some David O. Russell movie. He's replaced Christian in my affections, so why not this movie too, I say. :)) Basic premise of movie: Based on the true story of a notorious financial con artist (Mel Weinberg) and his mistress, who were forced to work with an intense and ambitious FBI agent (Jimmy Boyle) to turn the tables on other con artists, mobsters and politicians.
What doesn't make sense, if what Variety is reporting is correct, is that Bradley Cooper will take over the role CB was to play (con artist Weinberg), while JR would take over BC's original role (FBI agent Boyle). Not that I don't like Bradley, but Weinberg sounds like a meatier role and more apropos for a two-time Oscar nominee like Jeremy. Plus, as much as I like seeing Jeremy star in big-budget action films, I really want to see him win an Oscar and that's not going to happen with him playing bland good-guy roles. Jeremy plays bad guys with such believable intensity. I mean, I like seeing him as the good guy, too, but his bad guys have depth and a gray quality that not everyone can bring (sorry Bradley, you definitely can't). Boyle sounds like it might be a more interesting good guy role than most, but considering CB was originally going to play Weinberg, I have to think that's the more interesting role (the only time CB bizarrely chose a less-interesting role was in Terminator: Salvation, when he insisted on playing John Connor instead of the terminator, which went to Sam Worthington). It just makes no sense to me that Bradley would step into Christian's shoes, when on an acting level Jeremy and Christian are more comparable.
You know, it's really strange. Friday always seems to take forever to get here. And yet, when it comes to my weekly writing assignment (which is due on Fridays), it seems to always. be. Friday. Argh.
I've now watched S1 of Leverage and I think, sadly, that's as far as I can go.
For the second half of the season, I ended up liking Parker more and Sophie less, the latter primarily because they started playing up the Nathan/Sophie stuff and I really did not like her at all when she turned into a shrew about it/him. I like the team in general, particularly Hardison, Eliot, and Parker (and Sophie when she's not busy being Nathan's love interest). I like the Hardison/Eliot bromance, and I'm not opposed to Hardison/Parker, which I know is canon, but I also don't particularly dig it, either. Eliot's my favorite, which probably comes as no surprise, since I've always liked Christian Kane (I don't dig his long hair, but it's appropriate for Eliot).
However, there are too many things I *don't* like to outweigh the things I do like. Namely:
* I can't stand the weekly cases. They're totally uninteresting to me. Light-hearted capers aren't my thing. Especially as they're portrayed on this show; they're so EASY and CONVENIENT. Most of the time they just make me want to roll my eyes. And I guess I just don't like the individuals or the team dynamic enough to sit through it.
* I have zero, absolutely NO, interest in Nathan and don't like Timothy Hutton. As he's the leader, there's way too much focus on him and his stupid boring problems. The whole thing with his son, and then this drinking problem that came out of nowhere, etc.
* Nathan ruins one of the characters I otherwise DO like, Sophie. She does not make him any more interesting.
* I don't buy Hardison as a computer genius. At. all. He could not actively seem less like a computer genius. Sometimes when the actor's saying his lines, he nearly trips over them because he has no clue what he's talking about. And the skill is way too broad and convenient. In every episode. If Hardison could actually do what they claim he can do, the rest of them wouldn't even be necessary. It's actually kind of ridiculous. And there are no lines for what kind of computer genius he is. He can just do everything. If it's remotely related to computers, he can figure it out. Like a bomb. Yeah, I just cannot suspend my disbelief that much.
* If I shipped anyone, at this point I'd ship Eliot/Parker, but that's not canon and it doesn't seem all that popular in fandom either. So what's the point? Unless I just like exercises in frustration (which I don't)?
Asadelagia predicted, I'm having a similar problem with Psych, which reminds me of a lighthearted Lie to Me meets Sherlock. I heard it's a lot like Monk, but I never saw that so can't make any comparisons. I've only watched the first few eps of Psych, so I want to give it more of a shot before giving up. I don't particularly care for either of the leads so far (in fact, Dule Hill is SO EXPRESSIONLESS sometimes that I'm like, uh, I think you were supposed to react there. Like, expressionless in a bad way, not in a, "I'm doing this deliberately for laughs" way), but you know, I felt that way about almost everyone on Community in the beginning, and now I love almost all of them (Pierce being the exception).
It's just... I guess when it comes to crime solving and what not, I prefer serious dramaz. I recently started The Unusuals, and it's JUST riding that line for me. I think I can only take it because it DOES straddle the line rather than going over it, and also obviously because I love Jeremy and enjoy Amber a lot. (However, I stopped watching after the second episode because I totally ship Jason/Casey, and I know that's not where it's going; it only has 10 eps so it's not going to be satisfying; and I don't want to get TOO into Jason Walsh while I am working on so many Avengers stories because I'm afraid Jason and Clint will start to bleed into one another. Yes. I'm weird.)
It's ALMOST like how I couldn't take Fringe at first because it just seemed like XF's uglier and less intelligent sister. It wasn't until it got its own unique mythology and I knew the characters better that the show itself improved as a whole for me. BUT what Fringe had going for it was that it was more serious, rather than lighthearted, so in that respect it didn't have to get me over THAT hump.
For someone who likes so many things, I guess I am rather picky. :P
Breaking Bad has aired two eps of S5 and so far I'm keeping up with it. I really don't want to be spoiled, I guess is my main motivator. I just have one thing to say about the new season so far, which is pretty much the same thing that could be said about every season: Walt's such an asshole.
I'm also going to start S5 of Mad Men soon. I think I got spoiled for something, but I'm not sure. I'm just glad it wasn't more. I had to scroll by all of the stuff they'd post about it on Slate. Freaking news orgs shouldn't report on the content of TV shows! And certainly not on the front page! Grrrrrr.
Another fun vid: Two artists playing Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" on a floor keyboard... possibly at FAO Schwarz?
What doesn't make sense, if what Variety is reporting is correct, is that Bradley Cooper will take over the role CB was to play (con artist Weinberg), while JR would take over BC's original role (FBI agent Boyle). Not that I don't like Bradley, but Weinberg sounds like a meatier role and more apropos for a two-time Oscar nominee like Jeremy. Plus, as much as I like seeing Jeremy star in big-budget action films, I really want to see him win an Oscar and that's not going to happen with him playing bland good-guy roles. Jeremy plays bad guys with such believable intensity. I mean, I like seeing him as the good guy, too, but his bad guys have depth and a gray quality that not everyone can bring (sorry Bradley, you definitely can't). Boyle sounds like it might be a more interesting good guy role than most, but considering CB was originally going to play Weinberg, I have to think that's the more interesting role (the only time CB bizarrely chose a less-interesting role was in Terminator: Salvation, when he insisted on playing John Connor instead of the terminator, which went to Sam Worthington). It just makes no sense to me that Bradley would step into Christian's shoes, when on an acting level Jeremy and Christian are more comparable.
You know, it's really strange. Friday always seems to take forever to get here. And yet, when it comes to my weekly writing assignment (which is due on Fridays), it seems to always. be. Friday. Argh.
I've now watched S1 of Leverage and I think, sadly, that's as far as I can go.
For the second half of the season, I ended up liking Parker more and Sophie less, the latter primarily because they started playing up the Nathan/Sophie stuff and I really did not like her at all when she turned into a shrew about it/him. I like the team in general, particularly Hardison, Eliot, and Parker (and Sophie when she's not busy being Nathan's love interest). I like the Hardison/Eliot bromance, and I'm not opposed to Hardison/Parker, which I know is canon, but I also don't particularly dig it, either. Eliot's my favorite, which probably comes as no surprise, since I've always liked Christian Kane (I don't dig his long hair, but it's appropriate for Eliot).
However, there are too many things I *don't* like to outweigh the things I do like. Namely:
* I can't stand the weekly cases. They're totally uninteresting to me. Light-hearted capers aren't my thing. Especially as they're portrayed on this show; they're so EASY and CONVENIENT. Most of the time they just make me want to roll my eyes. And I guess I just don't like the individuals or the team dynamic enough to sit through it.
* I have zero, absolutely NO, interest in Nathan and don't like Timothy Hutton. As he's the leader, there's way too much focus on him and his stupid boring problems. The whole thing with his son, and then this drinking problem that came out of nowhere, etc.
* Nathan ruins one of the characters I otherwise DO like, Sophie. She does not make him any more interesting.
* I don't buy Hardison as a computer genius. At. all. He could not actively seem less like a computer genius. Sometimes when the actor's saying his lines, he nearly trips over them because he has no clue what he's talking about. And the skill is way too broad and convenient. In every episode. If Hardison could actually do what they claim he can do, the rest of them wouldn't even be necessary. It's actually kind of ridiculous. And there are no lines for what kind of computer genius he is. He can just do everything. If it's remotely related to computers, he can figure it out. Like a bomb. Yeah, I just cannot suspend my disbelief that much.
* If I shipped anyone, at this point I'd ship Eliot/Parker, but that's not canon and it doesn't seem all that popular in fandom either. So what's the point? Unless I just like exercises in frustration (which I don't)?
As
adelagia predicted, I'm having a similar problem with Psych, which reminds me of a lighthearted Lie to Me meets Sherlock. I heard it's a lot like Monk, but I never saw that so can't make any comparisons. I've only watched the first few eps of Psych, so I want to give it more of a shot before giving up. I don't particularly care for either of the leads so far (in fact, Dule Hill is SO EXPRESSIONLESS sometimes that I'm like, uh, I think you were supposed to react there. Like, expressionless in a bad way, not in a, "I'm doing this deliberately for laughs" way), but you know, I felt that way about almost everyone on Community in the beginning, and now I love almost all of them (Pierce being the exception).It's just... I guess when it comes to crime solving and what not, I prefer serious dramaz. I recently started The Unusuals, and it's JUST riding that line for me. I think I can only take it because it DOES straddle the line rather than going over it, and also obviously because I love Jeremy and enjoy Amber a lot. (However, I stopped watching after the second episode because I totally ship Jason/Casey, and I know that's not where it's going; it only has 10 eps so it's not going to be satisfying; and I don't want to get TOO into Jason Walsh while I am working on so many Avengers stories because I'm afraid Jason and Clint will start to bleed into one another. Yes. I'm weird.)
It's ALMOST like how I couldn't take Fringe at first because it just seemed like XF's uglier and less intelligent sister. It wasn't until it got its own unique mythology and I knew the characters better that the show itself improved as a whole for me. BUT what Fringe had going for it was that it was more serious, rather than lighthearted, so in that respect it didn't have to get me over THAT hump.
For someone who likes so many things, I guess I am rather picky. :P
Breaking Bad has aired two eps of S5 and so far I'm keeping up with it. I really don't want to be spoiled, I guess is my main motivator. I just have one thing to say about the new season so far, which is pretty much the same thing that could be said about every season: Walt's such an asshole.
I'm also going to start S5 of Mad Men soon. I think I got spoiled for something, but I'm not sure. I'm just glad it wasn't more. I had to scroll by all of the stuff they'd post about it on Slate. Freaking news orgs shouldn't report on the content of TV shows! And certainly not on the front page! Grrrrrr.
Another fun vid: Two artists playing Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" on a floor keyboard... possibly at FAO Schwarz?
