“The Calling” works well as a conclusion to this now three-episode arc about Korra’s healing process. “Korra Alone” focused directly on her three-year journey between Books Three and Four. “The Coronation” spent time showing Korra’s training with Toph, but largely stepped back to show the trouble bubbling in the outside world. Building from the same themes, this episode hammers home the […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 10
The Legend of Korra continues to impress with Book 4: Balance. Following last week’s major political bent, “The Calling” took a more personal approach to the story. Jinora, Meelo and Ikki head off in search of Korra and their presence lends a distinctly Avatar: The Last Airbender tone to the show. We also finally see a resolution to the Phantom […]
Gotham: “Spirit of the Goat” Review
Greed is a disease. It festers and spreads throughout the body until you’re consumed with thoughts of money and power. For some, the One Percent needs a reality check. They argue there is no fairness in a tiny minority that holds all the wealth while the rest of us have to suffer. “Spirit of the Goat” takes […]
Gracepoint: “Episode Four” Review
We’ve established that secrets are a ubiquitous factor in our lives. But we also like to assume that those closest to us will share their skeletons. Discovering the true malevolent nature of people you thought you knew is an unimaginably scary thought. The fourth episode of Gracepoint preys on this innate fear along and communicates it through the show’s voyeuristic lens. Carver […]
Korra: “The Coronation” Review
There’s nothing like a little Toph love to test your mettle. I admit those puns were awful. I’m just ecstatic to see Toph return to the onscreen Avatar universe. She’s an undeniable fan favorite from The Last Airbender, and it’s great to see her brusque approach to training and particular spunk introduced to The Legend of Korra. Speaking of which, how does the Avatar fare […]
Gotham: “Viper” Review
Chemical warfare is terrifying. Imagining all of the different types of weapons that have and will be invented sends a shiver down the spine. So when a drug that gives the user the ability to rip someone apart with their bare hands was introduced on Gotham this week, my interest was piqued. As with “Arkham,” “Viper” continues to unravel the mystery connection between Wayne Enterprises […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 9
This week’s episode of The Legend of Korra puts the focus on Prince Wu, the heir apparent to the throne of the Earth Kingdom. As leaders of the four nations gather to watch Kuvira relinquish power, Korra trains with Toph in the swamp. Things quickly go awry as Kuvira – perhaps unsurprisingly – doesn’t play by the rules. […]
Twin Peaks Returns
I was excited when Showtime announced plans to bring back Twin Peaks for a nine episode season in 2016. I’m a huge fan of David Lynch and I know the cultural impact that show has had on the television landscape. Yet in all the time since its first run in the 90s, I haven’t taken the time to sit […]
Gracepoint: “Episode Three” Review
There is a sense of camaraderie and community in small towns. But in aid of maintaining that picturesque setting, dark secrets begin to grow because everyone has something to hide. Small towns can be scary, a theme this week’s episode of Gracepoint seeks to prove. Apparently Danny knew his killer well. The implication of that knowledge is astounding. If Danny knew […]
Gotham: “Arkham” Review
Each week of Gotham brings new disappointment. I want to like this show. I recommend it to people who ask my opinion. I try to get excited when Monday night rolls around and I always pray that the new episode will be the one to capture my love and adoration. After watching “Arkham,” I fear I hope in vain. […]
Korra: “Korra Alone” Review
Well, that was quick. Picking up where the open-ended premiere left off, “Korra Alone” revealed what the Avatar has been up to for the past few years. Michael Dante DiMartino’s script takes a cyclical path, filling in the gaps without bogging the viewer down in too much exposition. We learn enough to understand how Korra ended […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 8
Book 4 of The Legend of Korra continues to impress with its second episode, “Korra Alone.” After missing the Avatar almost entirely last week, this episode catches us up on her goings-on since the showdown with the Red Lotus. J and I begin our conversation talking about Avatar: The Last Airbender, and speculate whether Zuko is […]
Gracepoint: “Episode Two” Review
Grief is a funny emotion. Everyone suffers through it differently. Some hole up and shut everyone out, others act as if nothing ever happened and some blame and point the finger at those they care about the most. My hometown has a population of about 10,000 people; that’s not tiny, admittedly, but it’s small enough that […]
Korra: “After All These Years” Review
Oh time, what change you leave in your wake. Barely two months after an intense finale to an emotionally and physically charged third season, The Legend of Korra has returned for its last season. Three years have passed since the end of Book 3, and the showrunners are embracing all facets of the time jump. An aged black […]
Gotham: “The Balloonman” Review
“The Balloonman” is an interesting episode, even if it doesn’t feature the action-packed punches I expected from the previews. The opening shot is beautiful. It features stunning cinematography that carries over throughout the episode. Director Dermott Downs and DP Tom Yatsko’s composition exposes the beauty Gotham while highlighting the crime and decay of the city. Downs and Yatsko treat us to a […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 7
The Legend of Korra returns for its fourth and final season. The premiere, titled “After All These Years,” takes place long after the finale of Book 3: Change. Republic City is in the midst of a revamp, new power player Kuvira looks to be shaking things up and Team Avatar is scattered around the world. Yet one question […]
Gracepoint: “Episode One” Review
The first episode of ten episode Gracepoint miniseries opens with a lazy pan over a sleepy town of the same name. With a quick cut, we see a boy standing on the edge of a cliff. Everything is quiet – too quiet. The slow, rhythmic music combines the ambient sounds of the town to give us an ominous […]
Gotham: “Selina Kyle” Review
“Selina Kyle” opens with a shot of Bruce Wayne holding his hand over an open flame. Although clearly in pain, Bruce does remove his hand until Alfred (Sean Pertwee) comes into the room. Once Alfred realizes what Bruce is doing, he yells at the boy, only to immediately regret his outburst and instead wrap Bruce in a big […]
Gotham: “Pilot” Review
In the weeks leading up to Gotham, Fox put a lot of effort into marketing. The studio released an interactive version of the Thomas and Martha Wayne murder scene for fans to explore, as well as a site for the fictional newspaper, the Gotham Chronicle. But will that all pay off in ratings and critical acclaim? […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 6
Well, here we are. Perhaps the best season of The Legend of Korra to date has come to its inevitable conclusion. Josh and I were spectacularly wrong about most of our predictions, but the finale generated some fascinating speculation about Book 4. Will Korra ever be able to access her past lives again? Has Suyin finally esablished her allegiance to the […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 5
In this week’s installment of Ember Island Airwaves, J and I discuss the incredibly draining experience of watching “The Ultimatum.” We explore classism and how the protagonist/antagonist relationships in The Legend of Korra directly contrast with those in Avatar: The Last Airbender. J and I then speculate about the fate of Tenzin and the other airbenders […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 4
It’s been awhile since our last episode of Ember Island Airwaves. In the interim, I had the chance to interview the fantastic Stephen Stanton (the voice of Old Wan and the Air Lion Turtle in “Beginnings, Part 2”). In addition, some major news about The Legend of Korra was dropped at San Diego Comic Con. Last week saw the birth […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 3
Having left Republic City, The Legend of Korra has seized an opportunity to flesh out its characters, its world, and its story. The world of Avatar has always been predicated on its unique bending systems and the cultural evolution thereof. The show has built on this by taking daring and paradigm-shifting new turns in the latest season, not […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 2
The world of Avatar is remarkable not only for its entertainment value, but for its remarkable maturity. Avatar: The Last Airbender deals with themes of death, destiny, and classism, all of which have been brought forward into and magnified in The Legend of Korra. These thematic ideas tie into structural similarities to anime and separate this franchise from its Western counterparts. J […]
Ember Island Airwaves: Episode 1
With Season 4 of Game of Thrones all wrapped up, J and I have turned our attention to an old favorite: The Legend of Korra. Korra is a sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender, a show that deservedly won numerous awards (including a Primetime Emmy) during its 2005-2008 run. As a follow-up to that legacy, The Legend of Korra has likewise met with mostly […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “The Children”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. Game of Thrones concludes its fourth season with the jam-packed episode, “The Children.” But although it was filled with shocking parent-offspring confrontation, the finale left audiences divided. Some, […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “The Watchers on the Wall”
Please note that can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. Game of Thrones has a history of making spectacular penultimate episodes each season. But did the episode live up to the impressive quality of its predecessors? We’re not so sure. Reprising […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “The Mountain and The Viper”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. After a short hiatus, Game of Thrones is back with one of the most anticipated conflicts of the season. Beyond that, J and I discuss Sansa Stark begins to play […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “Mockingbird”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. Game of Thrones prepares for a two-week hiatus with a milestone episode this week with “Mockingbird.” J and I delve into some monumental paradigm shifts for Tyrion and […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “The Laws of Gods and Men”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. This week’s episode of Game of Thrones was small in scope. However, what the show did cover will have lasting consequences for its main characters. Josh and I pore through […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “First of His Name”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. The fifth episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones featured a tonally positive but somewhat uneventful. J and I delve into Cersei’s humanity, Littlefinger’s secrets, and Tommen Baratheon’s newfound kingship […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “Oathkeeper”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. Following last week’s controversial episode, director Michelle MacLaren steers the show away from its rocky past. “Oathkeeper” was an exciting and important for show watchers and book readers alike. Josh […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “Breaker of Chains”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. Game of Thrones stirred up controversy this week with their new episode, “Breaker of Chains.” J and I delve into the questionable scene and attempt to parse out where […]
Jimmy Fallon Rings In New Era of Late Night Television
With the lift of a blue curtain, Jimmy Fallon began a new era in primetime entertainment. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon premiered just several weeks ago. The new host was humble and ecstatic as he took the reins from Jay Leno, the face of the show for the past 22 years. Sidekick and announcer Steve Higgins and […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “The Lion and the Rose”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. Game of Thrones Season 4 picks up steam with its second episode, “The Lion and the Rose.” As Joffrey Baratheon and Margery Tyrell prepare to marry and unite two incredibly powerful houses, […]
Game of Thrones Season 4: “Two Swords”
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. In our previous podcast, J and I discussed the first three seasons of the massively popular HBO series Game of Thrones. This week, we dive into “Two Swords,” the […]
Game of Thrones Seasons 1-3 Recap
Please note that you can find all episodes of “Stark Contrast,” our Game of Thrones podcast, both at Movie Fail and on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. In adapting George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series to television, HBO created a cultural phenomenon. Game of Thrones has become a franchise spanning books, video games, […]
Søren and J Discuss House of Cards
House of Cards has been a runaway success for Netflix, its characters permeating American culture from the Oval Office to the Oscars. Star Kevin Spacey plays Frank Underwood: a heartless, sociopathic politician gunning for power in Washington, D.C. But how long can a character like that be interesting? And how does the “binge-watching” structure of the […]
Bates Motel Checks in For Second Season
There’s trouble in White Pine Bay. A&E’s modern day prequel to the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho, which in turn is based on the novel by Robert Bloch, is back for its second season. The season premiere, which aired March 3, picks up after the shocking events of last season’s finale. After a quick recap of […]
J and Søren Discuss True Detective
True Detective has been something of a phenomenon. Featuring top-notch acting and intense character-driven mysteries, the show quickly gained a following and has seen record high ratings and critical acclaim over the course of its first season. On Sunday March 9, 2014, the tales of Rust Cohle (Matthew Mcconaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) came to an […]
The Excision of the Protagonist
Television has apexed once again. If the Emmys have proven anything over the past few years, it is that we live in what celebrated filmmaker Steven Soderbergh refers to as “a second golden age of television.” The networks — cable and streaming, more than broadcast — are investing more than ever in smart, original and […]
The Trailer Park Boys Come Back for New Season and Film
Fire up the go-kart, hide your drugs and grab your guns: the boys are back. After four years off the air, Canadian comedy series Trailer Park Boys is making its impromptu return in a brand new season and film. Fans of the show are understandably excited for the prospect of seeing their favorite miscreants tear […]
The Golden Age of Arthur Comes to an End
A nostalgic, familiar sight as Arthur and his friends are sitting in class with Mr. Ratburn, studiously paying attention as the curmudgeonly teacher drones on about math. But something is off. None of the characters look quite right. Their outlines are bolder and there’s almost no subtlety to their expressions. And now they’re moving, but […]
Ari’s Favorite Moments from Game of Thrones Season 2
Warning – spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 2 to follow. 10. Theon’s Choice I’m a sucker for beautiful mise en scéne. Against a chiaroscuro backdrop, Theon stares at the letter he wrote warning Rob Stark of his father’s plans, illuminated by a single candle. It’s an image that tells you all you need to […]
