Old TV Worth Watching: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I'm back into the old television shows. This show is really old. It first aired in 1997 and was canceled in 2003 after seven seasons.

I started watching this show when I was about eight or nine. And I think this show is one of the reasons for my obsession with the fantasy and horror genre. Some may get tired of a show after a certain amount of years. But I haven't gotten tired of Buffy yet. I still watch it to this day.  

In my opinion, Buffy is one of the best shows to ever air on television. Many critics agree. It was on the list of Time Magazine's ALL-TIME 100 Shows. It was #41 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. It was #2 on Empire's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. These are just a few.

Here are just a few reasons why I think you should consider watching it:

1) The show's writing was genius. Joss Whedon is one of my favourite writers and writing inspirations. The first three seasons of the show were set in Sunnydale High, a high school built over the Hellmouth. High school is hell. That's what most of us say. But in Buffy, high school is literally hell. The show's writers wrote about real life issues and turn them into supernatural metaphors. For example, when Buffy and Angel have sex for the first time, he looses his soul. Joyce's strict new boyfriend turns out to be a heartless robot (literally). Tara, a lesbian, fears her nature is demonic (which is explored in two specific episodes).

Another aspect of the writing that I loved was the strong female characters. Buffy, Willow, Anya, Tara, Joyce (Buffy's mother) and even Dawn. I think Buffy set the standard for strong female characters on television. Women that were able to fend for themselves and not always needing a man to do their saving.

The show's dialogue was truly unique. The characters on the show would make up new words, change existing ones and turn around the common usage of certain words. The youthful lines remind me of Juno in certain ways. And even though it may sound silly, the writers managed to write incredibly funny lines but also move us with deep, touching dialogue.

2) Impeccable acting from the entire cast (Warning: This is an insanely long paragraph). Sarah Michelle Gellar is a great actress and she was beyond brilliant as Buffy throughout those seven seasons. Her ability to portray Buffy's wide range of emotions, from her fearlessness, determination, bravery but also her sensitivity and vulnerability. Nicholas Brendon was Xander, the goofy friend. Despite the character's goofiness, he also had great moments of maturity that made him leading man material. Alyson Hannigan was fantastic to watch. The character development and numerous changes for Willow throughout the seasons and watching her portray those changes effortlessly is fun and fascinating to watch. Anthony Stewart Head was wonderful as Giles. The father figure for everyone in the group, the adult who knows everything and knew how to handle everything until he knew he was no longer needed.

These characters are more supporting in my opinion. Charisma Carpenter was on Buffy for the first three seasons as Cordelia and I think she was very good. Cordelia wasn't always likable, but Carpenter managed to get us to draw sympathy for her (Cordelia). David Boreanaz was on the show for the first three seasons as Angel, Buffy's main love interest. I think he was great and able to portray the good and evil sides of Angel convincingly. Plus he and Sarah Michelle Gellar had intense chemistry together and worked wonderfully well together. Seth Green was Oz, Willow's love interest. I think he had great comedic and dramatic timing and had chemistry with Hannigan. James Marsters was Spike from seasons two to seven. He was the show's breakout character. Funny, scary and so much more, Marsters pulled it off beautifully. Marc Blucas was Riley, Buffy's later love interest in seasons four and five. I think he was decent in the role and had okay chemistry with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Emma Caulfield was Anya for four seasons. I loved the character. She was absolutely hilarious and provided light for dark episodes. Michelle Trachtenberg plays Dawn, Buffy's sister who's introduced in later seasons. I think she had a lot of dept and had good chemistry with all the cast members. I loved the character's obliviousness to certain situations because it really reminds us that she's a teenager. Amber Benson played Tara, Willow's love interest. I think Tara was a spectacular addition to the show. I think after a while she blended in with the group well and plus she had chemistry with Hannigan which really helped make their romance work. Another cast member worth mentioning is Kristine Sutherland, who played Joyce, Buffy and Dawn's mother. Sutherland portrayed the perfect motherly figure, always supporting and reassuring while keeping out of the supernatural world as much as possible. Joyce really was one of the few normal characters on the show and I was sadden to see her go.

3) Good stunts. Violence is one of the show's recurring elements so of course a lot of punches were thrown in during their seven years. But the fights were well choreographed. They even managed to be unique with where they fight. For example, we have fights in the playground where a swing is used a weapon in an episode.

4) Good visual effects. The show aired in the 90s so of course their special effects weren't as good as they are now. Vampires dusting, shapeshifting, vampires transforming into their true faces and much more. For the time it was, they made it work very well.

5) The show has a blend of horror, action, adventure, comedy, drama and romance. What more could you want?

I could go on and on but I'm going to stop myself because I've written down the big reasons why you should consider watching this iconic television series.

TV: Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars first aired in 2004 and was canceled in 2007 after three seasons. Most people reading this blog will probably wonder why I'm bothering to write about a show that first aired eight years ago and was canceled five years ago. The reason is simple: it's a fantastic show and probably one of the best  teen dramas to grace television in the last decade.

The story is about Veronica Mars, a teenage girl who's life turned upside after the murder of her best friend, Lilly Kane. Veronica's father, Keith, who was sheriff at the time, believed Lilly's father Aaron was responsible. Most of the community turned against Keith and the same was for Veronica and her classmates. Keith opened his own detective agency and Veronica assists him, whilst going after cases on her own.

I loved the story construction for a season. Each season had a core mystery to solve. In season one, it was to find out who killed Lilly. In season two, it was to discover the cause of the bus crash and in season three, it was the campus rapist. And every episode, there's a new small mystery, with clues leading to help solve the core mystery. Veronica is connected to these core mysteries: she was Lilly's best friend, was supposed to be on the bus when it crashed and her roommate was assaulted by the campus rapist. So I like that the show actually gives motive for Veronica's determination to solve these cases. Most detective shows, the detective goes after the criminal for the sake of justice. But in Veronica Mars, the personal connection causes the motivation to bring justice, which makes it just as layered.

The show had a wide variety of supporting characters, but what was great is that they weren't plot points. They actually had their own stories and their own lives, which made them more multi-layered characters. In this kind of show, they could've easily only served when needed. But the writers decided to give these characters something else, thus making them more interesting to watch.

The entire cast was amazing. The show aired for three seasons and the cast had a large cast. So I'm going to give my thoughts on the core characters and that we're relevant to the show.

Kirsten Bell was phenomenal as Veronica. Her ability to portray Veronica's fearlessness, wit, cleverness, determination, courage and vulnerability was great to watch. I still think that she should've gotten high recognition at awards like the Emmys. She deserved it. In many ways, Veronica Mars reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer- strong, determined portrayals of women. Enrico Colantoni played Keith, Veronica's father. He was fantastic. He and Kristen Bell had amazing chemistry together as father and daughter. Probably one of the best father-daughter duos I've seen on television. Percy Daggs III was Wallace, Veronica's best friend. Francis Capra played Weevil, the leader of the biker gang and Veronica's friend. I think they were both great on the show and slightly underused in certain plots throughout the show. Michael Muhney plays Don Lamb, the guy who replaces Keith as sheriff. I didn't like Don at all throughout the show but Muhney played the part convincingly well. Teddy Dunn played Duncan, Lilly's brother and Veronica's ex. I think Dunn played a complex Duncan very well. Jason Dohring played Logan, Duncan's best friend who eventually becomes Veronica's boyfriend. I think Dohring was fantastic and that he and Bell worked brilliantly together. I think that Bell had wonderful chemistry with both Dunn and Dohring and it made you root for both couples, although I think that one couple worked better than another.

The show's first two seasons were absolutely amazing. Fun, entertaining, suspenseful and thrilling. The third season was good, but fell slightly short. I think that in the third year, the show started loosing a sense of balance. Regular, well-loved characters were being written out and some characters were changed, in a way that made them less interesting. With some characters, like Logan, it was noticeable. Despite a slightly shifted last season, the show managed to do well.

Veronica Mars is forever in my top 10 of favourite shows and is in my opinion one of the best teen dramas to air the in last ten years.

Karen Klein

Some of you readers may have heard about this story. Some of you may have not. I hadn't until today. When I heard this, I was so shocked and disgusted that I just had to vent. So I decided to vent through this blog and share my two cents on this story and how I feel about it with my readers.

With modern technology that we have, videos of everything and everyone are uploaded onto the internet every minute. On July 19th, a video called Making the Bus Monitor Cry was uploaded. The video has now been viewed over 4 million times on YouTube. I've only seen bits of it. I haven't been able to finish it. It's ten minutes long and I cannot bear to watch the entire thing because I'm so revolted by the behaviour of these kids.

Basically, Karen Klein is a 68-year-old woman who works as a bus monitor at a school in the States. In the video, we see several students in the seventh grade insulting and taunting her. We even hear someone say that she doesn't have a family because they all killed themselves. And the sad part is that Karen actually lost one of her sons to suicide several years ago. And they go on and on. Karen doesn't respond. She attempts to hold herself together but does break down in tears.

Now from articles I've read, Karen Klein will not be pressing charges against those who harassed her. She says she hopes parents will teach their children how to be more respectful towards others. This woman is a class act. She really is and the fact that she isn't pressing charges should show those who taunted her what kind of woman she is.

Some of the students and their parents apologized to her. One of the students was quoted as saying "I feel really bad about what I did". Another said "When I saw the video I was disgusted and could not believe I did that. I am sorry for being so mean and I will never treat anyone like this again". Now the thing is that I'm not entirely sure if these kids are being genuine. They know what they said. They're not naive to know what they said to her hurt her. I think that a big motivation for them apologizing was the outrage and the fact that they were caught bullying her. If someone hadn't recorded the incident and posted it online, I highly doubt they would've apologized to her. Either way, they wouldn't have apologized on their own volition.

I don't know how the kids will be punished but they need to be punished in whatever way possible. Suspension for a very long time is a must. If I was the principal, I wouldn't even want these kids in my school. If they can act that way towards an elderly woman, how will they act towards teachers or other students?

A website has been launched to raise 5,000 dollars in order for Karen to go on vacation. The website has now raised over 400,000 dollars and there's still lots of time for donations. I think that that speaks the amount of support she's receiving and also the outrage at the treatment against her.

I'm nineteen years old and when I look at this story, it honestly makes me wonder about the kids today. When you hear kids talking like this and acting like this, you wonder what is wrong and what even provokes you to speak and act like that.

They say to respect your elders. Clearly these kids have no respect whatsoever in my opinion. If you talk like that to a figure of authority, in public, you really have very little respect. I look at this story and think that this woman is somebody's mother, somebody's grandmother. Would you want someone to speak to your grandmother or mother like that? I know that these kids wouldn't. So if you wouldn't want someone to speak to someone you love like that, then why would you do it?

Bullying is a topic we hear about everyday. I believe that we talk about it so much or hear about it so much in the media that it's kind of like an expectancy. We expect to hear something about bullying in the news or whatever kind of form of media. But this video puts in our face the cruelness of bullying.

I had to vent and get this off my chest because I honestly can't remember a story that affected me and shocked me to my core. This isn't the last we've heard of this story so we'll have to see how this turns out.

BOOK REVIEW: Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

Charlotte and Sean have two daughters, Amelia (Charlotte's daughter from a previous marriage that Sean adopted) and Willow. Willow suffers from type III OI, which is commonly known as brittle bone syndrome. Willow has broken hundreds of bones in her life and her parents are struggling to give her the best life possible. Charlotte learns that she can sue her OB/GYN in a wrongful birth lawsuit. Charlotte has to testify if she knew Willow would have OI before she (Willow was born), she would've terminated the pregnancy. The problem is is that Piper, Charlotte's best friend and Willow's godmother, was Charlotte's OB/GYN. As Charlotte faces outrage from the community, her family falls apart.

MY THOUGHTS

I've always been a fan of Jodi Picoult's work. Out of all of the novels I've read written by her, this is one of my favorites.

What I love about Jodi Picoult's novels is that they always leave us questioning what we would do in the characters situation. Through her writing, Picoult tackles social and political issues like savior siblings, wrongful birth, bullying, school shootings, organ donation, suicide, child abuse, gay parenting, LGBT rights and amongst others. She is one of these authors that can get people talking. I believe that Picoult tackles subjects that some of us are afraid to talk or write about because they're considered taboo. Their subjects that might make people uncomfortable and they'd prefer to leave it alone. I think a part of that theory is because everyone's opinion is different. She brings all of these different opinions and views through her characters. So it leaves us wondering what character we agree or disagree with and makes us wonder if we have the right view on whatever subject.

All the characters in Handle With Care are all so strong and distinct. Charlotte is for the lawsuit, Sean is against it, Willow is worried she isn't wanted by her parents, Amelia suffers through personal struggles as her family slowly and unintentionally ignores her, Piper wonders what she could've done differently. All of these characters are different, realistic points of view that some readers may or may not agree with. Some might agree with Charlotte, or with Sean or with Piper. We sympathize with Amelia and Willow. The characters allow us to see the different sides of this issue and Picoult writes so brilliantly we are able to sympathize with all of the characters at some point.

The wrongful birth lawsuit is the core subject of this novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed the subplots of the other characters like Amelia (Charlotte's teenage daughter), Marin (Charlotte's lawyer) and even with Charlotte and Sean themselves.

Amelia's personal struggles in this novel I thought were appropriate and also realistic in a sense. She's trying to find a way to cope with everything that's happened in her family. She's trying to find her place in a family that she's usually considered last because of Willow. And the trial is causing alienation with her friends. All of that causes her to crack and delve into dangerous behavior.

We also have the subplot with Charlotte's lawyer, Marin, who was adopted and is trying to find her biological mother. Marin's story resonates with Charlotte's very well. Almost eerily so. There are differences, but the similarities are very incredible. And I did like the turnout of her finding her biological mother because (1) it resonates with the wrongful birth lawsuit and the right to be born and (2) it avoids the cliche of a happy reunion. I think that this surprising turn gives Marin a clearer sense of what really matters. I honestly enjoyed Marin's story just as much as the main story of the lawsuit.

Sean and Charlotte's marriage is troubled and I like that we see the side of both them. We see through narrative the early stages of their relationship, their attempts to have a child and how their marriage turns sour. Like I said, we see both sides of the story and while they're different, they're similar in many ways because in the end they both want the same thing- what is best for their family. 

We also have Piper and how her life is affected by this trial. We have her relationship with her husband and how her friendship with Charlotte has been affected. We also see their early friendship, how they were when Charlotte was pregnant with Willow and how their friendship is forever changed because of Charlotte's lawsuit. I will say that this subplot is very compelling and interesting to read. And it's because Piper isn't a bad person. She doesn't think she made a mistake and all she wants is her old life back.

The ending surprised me. I won't spoil it, but the very last pages really took me back because I wasn't expecting that kind of twist. I thought it worked, but that doesn't make it less shocking. It gives a sense of closure to the family and the other characters and everyone is at peace. It's a sad ending, but it some twisted way, it's a happy ending as well.

There are so many different stories in this that I believe that even you don't like a certain one, there are enough to satisfy any reader. You'll either be enjoying reading about the lawsuit unfolding and the consequences of it, Marin's search for her biological mother, Amelia's struggles, the history of the family told by different characters, the friendship between Piper and Charlotte and many more. It looks like there's a lot going on in Handle With Care based on what I'm writing. And there is. But it all blends together perfectly.

Handle With Care is an exciting and thrilling read that brings forth a subject of wrongful birth lawsuits, a subject that many people might not be entirely aware of. I rate it a 4.5 out of 5.

TV shows you should consider watching: Once Upon a Time

I've decided to start a post series about TV series I've watched lately. I'm going to write about a few shows I've watched and that I think you should consider watching. Some of these shows are still on air and some of them have been canceled.

ONCE UPON A TIME (currently on air)

 Once Upon a Time is my new favorite show. I'm obsessed with it and I stand by my belief that this is the new best show of the 2011-2012 season. I'm going to give you the briefest summary possible. The show focuses on the classic fairy tale characters we know and love, Snow White (Mary Margaret in the human world), Prince Charming (David in the human world), Rumpelstiltskin (Mr. Gold in the human world) and many others, who are cursed by the Evil Queen to live in the human world, in a fictional town called Storybrooke. Emma is a bounty hunter who is found by Henry, the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago, who tells her she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. He brings her to Storybrooke to break the curse and defeat the Evil Queen, who's his adoptive mother, Regina. 


MY THOUGHTS

There are so many things that make this show fantastic.

One aspect of the show that I love and really appreciate is the writing for the female characters. In the classic fairy tales, Snow White and the other female characters are the damsel in distress, needing a man to save them. But in this show, the women are the ones saving the men. Granted, the men will still save the women on occasion, but they aren't always doing the saving. I love to see portrayals of strong, determined women. Also, these women are feminine, but they aren't girly and entirely passive. I love this twist. I think if the female characters were damsel in distresses, I'd be bored and annoyed at the disrespect. But I'm happy that these writers had the sense to make these female characters more modern.

What I like about the characters is that even though the characters in both worlds have the same names and appearance, they have different personalities. In the fairy tale world, Snow White is kick-ass while her Storybrooke identity Mary Margaret is passive and compassionate. Prince Charming is brave and stands by Snow White while David isn't that bright. He makes the wrong decisions and does what he thinks others will approve of.

The writing for this show is brilliant. In addition to the twists I mentioned, the show does a great job of keeping us guessing. There are characters who possibly know the truth about Storybrooke and it's inhabitants but we aren't entirely sure if it's true or not until several episodes in. 

The acting in this is top notch. We have a good amount of leading and supporting actors so I'll just write my thoughts on the core characters.

Ginnifer Goodwin is fantastic as Snow White/Mary Margaret. Her capability to portray Mary Margaret's empathy and passiveness and Snow White's fearlessness and determination is outstanding. Joshua Dallas plays Prince Charming/David and I think he fits well in the role. He and Ginnifer Goodwin's chemistry is sizzling. Even if they aren't saying anything, a simple look and electricity sparks. Jennifer Morrison is Emma Swan. Like Ginnifer Goodwin, Morrison's ability to portray her character's determination, fearlessness, compassion and denial is outstanding. Jared S. Gilmore is Henry, Emma's son. He's actually a really good actor. It's great to see genuinely talented child actors. Lana Parrilla plays the Evil Queen/Regina. She's an incredible actress. There are times where I was actually feeling sympathetic towards Regina/Evil Queen and that's all because of Parrilla. Robert Carlyle is Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold. For me, he is the show's breakout character. Carlyle is an extraordinary actor and he steals every scene he's in. Whether he's being good or evil, you're just with him in every scene and you'll even root for him. The supporting cast is just as talented.

The creators of Once Upon a Time wrote for Lost. I haven't watched Lost yet, but I know it had a reputation for dragging on with its stories and not answering questions. I will say that these writers have answered most of our questions in the first season, especially in the finale. What was great was that the first season finale just brought new ones that will keep us guessing until the second season premieres. It's frustrating, but it keeps us entertained and wanting more.

The one downside I can think of is that this show is the kind of program you have to watch every episode, or at least catch up because if you miss one episode, you'll be confused. I missed one episode and didn't think I had to catch up. That was a mistake because I was confused by a revealing plot point. If you plan to start watching the show starting in its second season, I'd say to watch the first season to avoid confusion. This isn't one of those shows that you can skip a season and catch up in the next.

Now this isn't everyone's cup of tea. Some might see this show as being only for women because it's a show about fairy tales. In the show, there's also a good amount of sword fights and violence, which might appeal to male viewers like myself. Granted, the show's not that violent because the show is sponsored by ABC Disney. The show is slightly dark but not as dark as it could be considering the story. I'm interested in fairy tales and fantasy so that's why the show appealed to me and still does.

Once Upon a Time is a highly entertaining and I think it's one of the best dramas on air right now. Full of twists and turns, adventure, action and romance.

A New Direction

Anyone who knows me personally or had read this blog knows that I'm a movie fanatic.

When I first started blogging, I was doing it for the hell of it, not really expecting much out of it. But I was genuinely surprised at how much I have enjoyed it, writing out my thoughts on films I've seen. And I also enjoy the response I get from readers. All of it was exciting for me. When I was first starting, I was writing almost daily, sometimes I would post up to six posts in a single day. Then after a while, I started getting bored with it, which surprised me. I didn't expect to be bored with it. But then I realized that I just didn't want to write out my thoughts on just film because that's not my only interest. After writing over 115 posts in the past couple of months, I decided to take a new direction with this blog.

Film isn't my only interest. I'm very interested in literature and always enjoy a good book to get lost in. When it comes to television, I'm just as bad when it comes to film. I'm also fascinated by pop culture. Even though I'm not that political, sometimes certain news stories grab my attention.

I reread some of my old posts, including the little welcome post I wrote when I first started this blog. I wrote that I would probably review television shows I've seen or novels that I've read recently.

The new title of this blog is "My Thoughts on Movies and Other Stuff". I know it's a slightly cheesy title right now so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears. For the time being, that's exactly what this blog is going to be. I'm going to be writing out my thoughts on not only films but television shows I've seen, novels I've read recently or just a news story that I find interest in. For the most part, it will still be in review/thought format, but it all depends on whatever I'm writing about.

And I want to say thanks to every person who has read this blog and continues to check in. I look at the page views and every time I do, I'm encouraged to see that people are actually reading most of my posts. It encourages me to continue posting. I'm currently editing some movie posts and writing some new posts that I'm looking forward to posting. I hope that you like this new direction and that you'll continue reading. Let me know what you think!