TV & Media

Game of Thrones: Season 3

~ Mike Bass ~ Leave a comment

Game_of_Thrones_title_cardGame of Thrones: Season 3

The third season of Game of Thrones premiered Sunday night. The episode, titled Valar Dohaeris, wrapped up a few loose-ends and moved the chess pieces around a bit. It also showed us a darker side of Tywin Lannister. In the most moving scene of the episode, he completely dresses down series favorite and season 2 hero Tyrion Lannister. After neglecting to visit his injured son, Tywin leaves no stone unturned in his insults, and eviscerates any hopes the younger Lannister had of proper inheritance or succession. Later, Rob Stark and company come upon the remnants of Harrenhal, where hundreds (thousands?) of northerners have been massacred at the hands of Lannister’s henchman, the Mountain. The war is turning ugly.

In an equally dark scene, Daenerys Targaryen (the dragon lady) contemplates hiring an army of slave warriors. The seller demonstrates the warriors’ resolve and lack of human emotion by slicing off one of the man’s nipples. Ewww! It looks like she may not need the slave warriors, though, because she meets up with Barristan “The Bold” Selmy aka the oldest badass around. It will be interesting to see what he brings to her side. I suspect he has many old secrets to share.

We also see more of John Snow, who meets the King beyond the Wall and pledges his loyalty. And of course, even way out there they know he is the bastard son of Ned Stark. Poor Johnny can’t ever seem to get out of dad’s shadow. The much anticipated Season 3 premiere re-set the table for another fun season of scheming and plotting. Game of Thrones is on HBO Sunday nights at 8pm CST.

More: GoT producers tell Entertainment Weekly season 3 will be the best yet. Why HBO says record pirating of GoT is a compliment. The Atlantic holds a round table discussion on the season 3 premiere.

Oscar Wrap-Up 2011

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From his interview during the pre-show, it looked like James Franco was going to bomb as co-host of the Oscars. The super-laid back guy always looks high. Put him next to the hyper Anne Hathaway and you’re asking for trouble. Indeed, the lovable Franco had a tough night, reading his lines robotically, often looking like he didn’t want to be there, and generally being unfunny. There was even one stretch of twenty minutes where Hathaway went it alone, leading many on Twitter to wonder if he’d been fired. While the opening produced bit was good, there was not a legitimate laugh on stage until Kirk Douglas showed up. He’s 94 years old.

Overall, the awards show contained a few surprises in lesser categories but for the most part went according to prognostications. The King’s Speech and Colin Firth took 3 out of the 4 top awards. Natalie Portman won best actress and won over the entire crowd with her honesty and sweetness. It’s now a toss-up between her and Sandra Bullock for the most beloved starlet in Hollywood. Melissa Leo dropped an F-bomb, Christian Bale seemed to forget his wife’s name, and the makers of Inside Job reminded us that, still, no one in Wall Street has gone to jail for the economic tom-foolery of 2008. The Academy is still struggling with how to present the best songs of the year. This time, they inserted two medleys into the middle of the show. I personally prefer 5 grand performances spread out across the broadcast.

Finally, we have to wonder who Corey Haim must have pissed off to not be included in the 2010 memoriam to deceased personalities. The Lost Boys star made over 40 movies and TV shows and, while he battled with serious drug issues and never was able to clean himself up, he deserved better. The guy dies and he still can’t get a quick headshot in a 5 minute montage. Ouch. Let’s hope James Franco doesn’t end up like that one day.

Thoughts on the Oscars

~ Mike Bass ~ Leave a comment

This was the first year I’ve been on Twitter during the ceremonies and it was a lot of fun. If you’re still unsure about where Twitter fits into your lifestyle, the ability to share an experience like the Oscars is one way Twitter creates tremendous value and enjoyment. Top 10 funniest tweets.

When I think of what an Academy Award-winning best picture is, I think of a film that is either epic, ground-breaking, or both. The yearly best picture award is unavoidably flawed because there are years when no films fit the bill, and other years when wonderful films lose out in stiff competition. 2009 falls into the first category. While The Hurt Locker was a crafty and powerful film, I didn’t see it as a best picture, either in its scope or originality. The votes most likely came down to the fact that no other film could surpass it. Up in the Air was a fine film, with moments that felt genuine and truthful, but I found my mind wandering as its third act slowly ground to a halt. There was not enough of the humor and magnificence of Little Miss Sunshine. Meanwhile, Avatar was, to be sure, ground-breaking and beautiful, but as everyone will tell you, the story has been done a thousand times before.

Overall, this year’s Academy Awards show lacked entertainment. Choosing Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to emcee seemed like a brilliant choice, but they disappointed. Their opening monologue was a laborious roast of several nominated actors that left me uneasy and hoping for a quick end. Though Martin had a few good lines, the two never seemed to hit it off, and I found myself wondering if Baldwin was feeling well or if he was just refusing to deliver a punchline. The Oscars typically feature musical performances of the pieces nominated for best original song, but this year there were none of these, and it hurt. I found the replacement interpretive dance number entertaining, but judging from comments on Twitter, I was in the minority. Roger Ebert’s fine review of the Oscars hits on some of these points and many others and is an excellent read. A quote:

Director John Hughes was too great a legend to be simply included in the traditional “In Memoriam” tribute. The special clip package of his work stirred desires to see his films again. They seemed good at the time, and in these dreary days, they seem miraculous. As the stars he made — his “children” —strode forward, it became one of the greatest moments in Academy Award history.

Finally, for more information on the strange, Kanye-esque moment during the acceptance speech for short film documentary, check out Salon.com’s article here.