The (Pod) Casting Couch - Moneyball

The (Pod) Casting Couch tackles the new baseball drama Moneyball and reach the epic conclusion of their three-podcast project - The Top Ten Movies of the 2000s! The Couch is West Australian film critic Shannon Harvey, (@Choc_Bomb), Quickflix critic Simon Miraudo (@Quickflix), Laura Hewison (girlonfilmblog.blogspot.com) & Andrew Williams (@DrewWilliams9). Check it out and give us a great rating on iTunes if you're a fan! We'd also love to hear your top tens - e-mail as at thepodcastingcouch@gmail.com or Tweet at @podcastingcouch.

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The (Pod) Casting Couch - Abduction/Feature Four Action Movies of the 2000s

A packed Couch this week as we talk the new Taylor Lautner actioner Abduction, pick our Feature Four Action movies of the 2000s and answer some questions without notice. The Couch is Western Australian film critic Shannon Harvey (@Choc_Bomb), Quickflix critic Simon Miraudo (@Quickflix),  Andrew Williams (@IntheBoxSeat). Check it out and give us a great rating on iTunes if you're a fan!

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QUICK TV REVIEW: The Joy of Sets

Full disclosure: I was a huge fan of Get This, the Triple M program and podcast that originally brought Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee together, along with the much-missed, much-loved Richard Marsland. So I’m a little biased.

Having said that, I got more laughs out of the opening segment of The Joy of Sets than I did out of a whole episode of Good News World. These guys have a natural, easy chemistry that just works, whether it’s on radio or television. That chemistry comes across here, and they mine some fine material out of the weird and wonderful that is the history of television.

 First of all, though, someone needs to get them some better chairs. The whole show was a little bit awkward and a little bit clunky, and I think it will benefit as time goes on, once the guys become more comfortable in their roles and the editing becomes less jarring. It should be less scripted as well, but that might prove too high a degree of difficulty, especially for a first episode.

(I really enjoyed the closing title sequence. That was close to the best thing on the show.)

On top of that, I actually don’t have all that much to say about ‘The Joy of Sets’. It was funny, pretty interesting, a little awkward and charming. Much like the guys themselves, I suppose. I think it would probably benefit from being on a little bit later and have less pressure on it. It strikes me as being more suited to a later timeslot a la the panel or Merrick and Rosso Unplanned. I hope people, and Channel Nine, give it a chance because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Check it out next week!

TV REVIEW - TWO AND A HALF MEN

There are so many jokes about Ashton Kutcher’s enormous penis in the return episode of Two and a Half Men, that I half expected the title card to become ‘Two and a Half Legs’ - or ‘Three Men’. It’s a sign that the writers of this show haven’t left their own particular brand of vaguely nauseating humour behind in making the transition from Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) to Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher).

The fact that those jokes are possibly among the most family friendly of the episode is quite a spectacular achievement, one only bettered by the breathtaking laziness of a mid-episode fart joke involving Angus T. Jones – a moment that is almost his only ‘line’.

Some more (spoiler-y) thoughts on the return of ‘Two and Half Men’ coming up after the jump:

If you divide this episode into two halves, you get two very different shows. The second half involving Ashton Kutcher’s introduction is the same old stud/impotent nerd dynamic the show has been peddling for seven seasons, no funnier or cleverer than before. That show seems to be a fitting replacement for Sheen’s Two and a Half Men. I actually don’t think that half of the episode, which is representative of what the series will be going forward, will affect the show’s ratings and response to any considerable degree.

However, I suspect that there are many 2.5 Men fans that watched the show first and foremost for Charlie Sheen. You may understand that, you may find it completely baffling, but it remains probable. He was the undeniable public face of the show, even if Jon Cryer was its secret weapon. 

So how are those fans going to react to the show leaving the Charlie Harper character (and let’s face it, by extension, Sheen) with not a shred of dignity whatsoever? The funeral sequence and the minutes following absolutely eviscerated the character, with a quick fire series of jokes about how only one person at his funeral cared he was dead and everybody else was just saying what venereal disease he gave them. Not content, the show’s writers followed that with Melanie Lynskey’s Rose basically confessing she murdered him for his infidelities by pushing him in front of a train. It was so callous, crass, undignified and unrepentant that I can’t imagine any fan of Charlie Harper even giving the replacement a chance.

As a side note, the two potential buyers for Charlie’s house were both very meta and both very bizarre. I’m still not one hundred per cent sure whether John Stamos was confessing that his character and Charlie raped an unconscious woman or that they had sex with each other. I’m assuming the phrase ‘we continued without her’ means the latter, but should there really be even a tiny grey area there? The Dharma and Greg appearance was initially a little dispiriting, but became much funnier once you remembered how awful that show was and how likely it would be that Dharma and Greg would grow to hate each other.*

(*I see Thomas Gibson has understandably gained absolutely no comic timing during his stint on Criminal Minds.)

Will you like Two and a Half Men in its new guise? The answer, like the show itself, is pretty simple. If you like jokes about Ashton Kutcher's penis, fart jokes, or Jon Cryer, you'll like this.

THE 2011 EMMY AWARDS PREDICTIONS EXTRAVAGANZA

Feel free to play along at home with the Emmy Nomination prediction game. 2 points for a will win, 1 point for a should win.

Supporting Actor, Comedy


Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men


Chris Colfer, Glee


Ty Burrell, Modern Family


Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family 


Ed O'Neill, Modern Family

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

WILL WIN

As always, the Supporting Actor in a comedy category presents us with the Colfer Conundrum – do you pick the best performance in a comedy or funniest performance in a comedy? If we’re going with best, I suspect Chris Colfer takes this category easily based on his heartbreaking performance in ‘Grilled Cheesus’. If we’re going with funniest, it’s probably (narrowly) Ty Burrell in Modern Family. Given that Emmy voters have to actually watch the episodes, though, I think its going to be difficult to go past Colfer, on his performance of ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ alone.

SHOULD WIN

Chris Colfer. He’s the best part of a show that’s crumbling around him. While Ty Burrell was the most consistently funny part of Modern Family over the year, he didn’t really have a standout episode.

Supporting Actress, Comedy


Jane Lynch, Glee

Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

Julie Bowen, Modern Family


Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live


Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock


Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

WILL WIN

Jane Lynch is hosting the ceremony. She’s won every award in this category since Glee began, and while she’s an increasingly awful part of that show, I don’t think your average Emmy voter has twigged to that. Helping her even further is the fact that her submission episode is a dramatic showcase for a comedic character.

SHOULD WIN

In every episode of Modern Family, Sofia Vergara makes me glad I watched. Her pronunciation of ‘Shia Labeouf’ alone has kept me amused for months. She’s consistently the funniest part of a consistently funny show and as such easily deserves the win here. She won’t get it, though. More’s the pity.

Outstanding Mini-series or Movie


Mildred Pierce


Downton Abbey


The Kennedys


Cinema Verite


Too Big to Fail


The Pillars of the Earth

WILL WIN

Given that the Kennedys was critically panned and none of Cinema Verite, Too Big to Fail or The Pillars of the Earth made much of a splash, this is a race between a critically adored British historical drama and a critically adored American drama. It’s gonna be Mildred Pierce, folks. Pack up and go home.

SHOULD WIN

I’m not a huge fan of any of these series, finding Mildred Pierce slavish and overlong and Downton Abbey wildly inconsistent, depending on whether we were upstairs or downstairs. For being entertaining and thought provoking for the longest stretch, I’m going with the lords and ladies. Downton Abbey deserves this one.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series


The Colbert Report


Late Night with Jimmy Fallon


Saturday Night Live


Conan


Real Time with Bill Maher


The Daily Show

WILL WIN

The Daily Show is on a deserved hot streak in this category and that shows no signs of abating.

SHOULD WIN

The Daily Show continues its run of being the most relevant, sharpest comedy on television. Only The Colbert Report comes close but The Daily Show still has the edge.

Supporting Actor, Drama


John Slattery, Mad Men


Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age


Walton Goggins, Justified


Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones


Josh Charles, The Good Wife


Alan Cumming, The Good Wife

WILL WIN

Unlike some other critics, I’m perfectly happy with Josh Charles being nominated in this category. I think he’s fantastic.  But EVERYONE is fantastic in this category. Slattery is solid as always, Alan Cumming is consistently the best part of ‘The Good Wife’, Walton Goggins is one of the best character actors in the business, Andre Braugher plays against type beautifully and Peter Dinklage is a charisma machine on ‘Game of Thrones’. I’m going to go with Alan Cumming here for no other reason than he’s had the best combination of flashy part and popular show. Everyone would deserve a win here.

SHOULD WIN

Man. This is a tough one – but I’m going to go with Peter Dinklage. Because I loved Game of Thrones, and this is probably its only chance for a ‘major award’. Plus, he’s awesome. If you haven’t watched Game of Thrones yet, you should have.

Supporting Actress, Drama


Kelly McDonald, Boardwalk Empire


Christina Hendricks, Mad Men


Michelle Forbes, The Killing


Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife


Margo Martindale, Justified


Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

WILL WIN

I’m pretty deeply concerned that Boardwalk Empire is going to sweep these Emmys, and I expect Kelly McDonald to be one of the early harbingers of doom.

SHOULD WIN

Having said that, it’s really difficult to deny McDonald her accolades, as she’s regularly pretty excellent on Boardwalk Empire. Anyone who watched Justified this year though knows that despite the fine work of Panjabi, Forbes, Baranski and Hendricks, Margo Martindale deserves the win as her unbelievable work on that show’s second season. Just brilliant, and she deserves the win.

Lead Actor, Comedy


Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock


Louis CK, Louie


Steve Carell, The Office


Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory


Matt LeBlanc, Episodes


Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

WILL WIN

I think you can rule out LeBlanc and Galecki pretty quickly. The fact Galecki was nominated was pretty amazing in itself considering he’s on a show where he’s increasingly irrelevant. LeBlanc is the best thing about Episodes, but I don’t think that show gained enough cultural traction. Louis CK is a pleasant surprise for a nomination but I don’t think he’s quite got the tickets in the bank yet. So we have a three-way raise – the most recent winner in Parsons, the multi-winner in Baldwin and the emotional favourite who is yet to win an Emmy in Carell. I think Parsons gets the vote split with Galecki and Steve Carell’s episode is just good enough to get the nod over Baldwin.

SHOULD WIN

And so he should. Steve Carell has created a fantastic character with a brilliant performance and is the most deserving person in the ENTIRE SHOW.

Lead Actress, Comedy


Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie


Tina Fey, 30 Rock


Laura Linney, The Big C


Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly


Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope


Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

WILL WIN

Sometimes you look at a category and it’s so even that you just look at the biggest movie star and give them the award. On that basis its probably Laura Linney, with a late charge from Melissa McCarthy.

SHOULD WIN

As the anchor of the best comedy on television and simply the funniest and best actress on this list, it’s an easy and much-deserved win for Amy Poehler. DON’T BET ON THIS.

Lead Actor, Drama


Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire


Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights


Michael C. Hall, Dexter


Jon Hamm, Mad Men


Hugh Laurie, House


Timothy Olyphant, Justified

WILL WIN

I think Steve Buscemi is an easy pick here but this is the only category when I’m going to break rank and put my faith in them to pick Jon Hamm for his wonderful performance in Mad Men, specifically in The Suitcase.

SHOULD WIN

I’ve made my peace with the fact that Hugh Laurie and Kyle Chandler won’t with Emmys with two of the best (and best-performed) characters on television. Jon Hamm deserves this for the iconic Don Draper’s three previous seasons alone – but perhaps never more than this one.

Lead Actress, Drama


Kathy Bates, Harry's Law


Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights


Mireille Enos, The Killing


Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU


Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife


Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

WILL WIN

I think we can rule out Enos and Hargitay for having good but not outstanding seasons. I think Kathy Bates’ Kathy Bates-ness could very easily get her over the line. Julianna Marguiles and Connie Britton would both be easily deserving but I think Elisabeth Moss has chosen the right year to move up to Lead Actress and should get the win now.

SHOULD WIN

See all the stuff I wrote about Jon Hamm up there? Uh, ditto. Elisabeth Moss for the win.

Outstanding Comedy Series


The Big Bang Theory


Glee


Modern Family


The Office


Parks & Recreation


30 Rock

WILL WIN

The critically acclaimed and popular Modern Family will surely take this category out.

SHOULD WIN

Glee had a wildly inconsistent second season and I’m not sure The Big Bang theory was actually especially funny this year. The Office had its highs as well as shocking lows (and really should have finished by now). 30 Rock and Modern Family had good, even great seasons, but nothing came even remotely close to the sustained brilliance of Parks and Recreation, especially Flu Season.

Andy: “I entered your symptoms into the computer and it says you may have ‘network connectivity problems’.”

That surely deserves an award.

Outstanding Drama Series


Boardwalk Empire


Dexter


Friday Night Lights


Game of Thrones

The Good Wife


Mad Men

WILL WIN

Martin Scorsese, Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald and HBO are all involved with Boardwalk Empire. I just can’t see it not winning this category over Mad Men – but Mad Men has the runs on the board and also had a great season.

SHOULD WIN

As much as I admire the depth and drama of Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, as much as I like the twisted moral complexity of The Good Wife, as much as I love the searing emotion of Friday Night Lights, nothing captivated me as much this year as the action-packed, intrigue heavy genius of Game of Thrones. This is so much more than just a fantasy series, folks. Check it out.

The (Pod) Casting Couch - Win Win/The Guard

The (Pod) Casting Couch reviews 'Win Win' & 'The Guard' and answers some questions without notice.The Couch is Western Australian film critic Shannon Harvey (@Choc_Bomb), Quickflix critic Simon Miraudo (@Quickflix),  Andrew Williams (@IntheBoxSeat). Check it out and give us a great rating on iTunes if you're a fan!

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The Interchange Bench - Finals Week One

In the absence of Steve Allen, Andrew Williams and Adam Papalia chat all things football in the lead up to the semi finals.

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The (Pod) Casting Couch - The Help

The (Pod) Casting Couch reviews 'The Help, answers some questions without noticeand rates their feature four Books that should be movies. The Couch is Western Australian film critic Shannon Harvey (@Choc_Bomb), Quickflix critic Simon Miraudo (@Quickflix),  Andrew Williams (@IntheBoxSeat). Check it out and give us a great rating on iTunes if you're a fan!

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The Interchange Bench - Round 23

The Interchange Bench (Andrew Williams @Intheboxseat & Steve Allen (@ScubaStv) review Round 23 and deliver the long-awaited Feature Interview. E-mail us anytime at theinterchangebench@gmail.com.

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The (Pod) Casting Couch - Horrible Bosses

The (Pod) Casting Couch reviews 'Horrible Bosses', answers some questions without notice and rates their feature four Scene Stealing performances. The Couch is Western Australian film critic Shannon Harvey (@Choc_Bomb), Quickflix critic Simon Miraudo (@Quickflix),  Andrew Williams (@IntheBoxSeat) and Laura Hewison (girlonfilmblog.blogspot.com). Check it out and give us a great rating on iTunes if you're a fan!

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The Interchange Bench - Round 22

The Interchange Bench put the call out last week for a female listener to send us an e-mail. Did we get one? Listen and find out! E-mail us your Brownlow tip at theinterchangebench@gmail.com.

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TV REVIEW - SUITS

When I sat down to watch Suits, I wasn’t particularly enthralled at the idea. Watching two snappily dressed, rich, white guys banter and do legal things isn’t really my idea of a good time unless its very nicely executed. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Suits is ‘very nicely’ executed, there’s a degree of competency at work here that just makes this show fly by.

Reading American critics’ reviews had made me think that ‘Suits’ was going to be a slog, and while you should never think too deeply about what’s going on, a slog it is not. Leads Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht have an easy chemistry and natural charm, although it still baffles me how often in the pilot they aren’t in scenes together, as the show really clicks when they are.

Macht (The Spirit) stars as Harvey Specter, a flashy attorney who is ‘the best closer in town’. This seems to be based more on reputation than actual evidence, as he spends most of his time in the pilot screwing up. Through some contrived plotting he meets Mike Ross, (Adams) a pot-smoking screw-up who also happens to be a genius. He hires Ross to join his legal firm despite the fact he’s never been to law school and they begin to close cases together.

And that’s it, really. There are other people who populate the law firm like Gina Torres (Firefly) as their boss and Rick Hoffman as a lawyer so incredibly prissy and annoying he makes Macht’s character look like a self-deprecating, humble street urchin – and that’s probably the idea – but really this show is about whether you like the two leads and want to see them do the legal equivalent of solve crimes together. The writing is unspectacular, the women are smart, attractive and underwritten, and the cases are nothing to write home about. It’s all down to whether you like the characters.

Personally, I started out not liking either of them but begrudgingly accepted they were a watchable duo in the end – and maybe liking them a little bit. Sure, Gabriel Macht may be playing a played-straight version of Barney Stinson and Adams is like a straighter-laced Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad, but they make decent, inoffensive, frothy viewing.

Just don't think too hard about it.

The (Pod) Casting Couch - Green Lantern/Superhero Movies

The (Pod) Casting Couch reviews Green Lantern and does a superhero themed feature four. Featuring The West Australian's Shannon Harvey (@Choc_Bomb), Quickflix critic Simon Miraudo (@quickflix) and Laura Hewison. E-mail us at thepodcastingcouch@gmail.com or @podcastingcouch on Twitter!

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The Interchange Bench - Round 20

It's a full bench this week as Steve and Andrew are joined by Michael Genovese and Claire Thomas (@ClaireT78) to discuss the round just gone. Our e-mail topic this week is to let us know your biggest disappointment of season 2011 - e-mail us at theinterchangebench@gmail.com and you too could be commemmorated in song.

If you've enjoyed the podcasts, please do us a favour and give us a great rating on iTunes! Cheers

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The Interchange Bench - Round 19

Michael Genovese (@GenoveseMichael) makes his triumphant return to the Interchange Bench, joining Andrew and Steve in a wrap that unsurprisingly concentrates primarily on the Melbourne fallout. It's not all Woe of the Demons, though, as Beau Mitchem (@Mitchem89) joins us from Newcastle to review a Western Bulldogs season that fell just short of his prediction of a runaway premiership. E-mail us at theinterchangebench@gmail.com with your thoughts to win our very special prize.

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FILM: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES REVIEW

Rush Hour: Always a bitch.

I’ve never really understood the whole ‘Planet of the Apes’ phenomenon. I get that they’re entertaining films with a few good ideas and a nice twist, but the series’ longevity and level of cultural impact was always somewhat beyond my grasp. I was therefore not only surprised that there was a prequel on the way but even more surprised that it was premiering in this, the most blockbuster-heavy summer in recent memory.

Most of the hype for ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ has happened by stealth and put the special effects front and centre as the primary selling point. Stars James Franco, Freida Pinto and Draco Malfoy (I mean, Tom Felton) have been sidelined in favour of short, effects-heavy clips of the stunningly real-looking apes. Not only is this also how the film itself works, but it’s also why the film works – and no one is more surprised than me that it does.

James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a scientist motivated by the illness of his father (John Lithgow) to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. After a disastrous presentation for his new drug, he is left with nothing but a small baby chimp named Caesar (Andy Serkis) who displays remarkable intelligence. Will cares for Caesar while continuing to work on his research, but as Caesar grows older and finds the world outside, the situation spirals out of Will’s control.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise about Rise is the fact it’s willing to engage in the slow burn. So many action or sci-fi movies feel compelled to punctuate their plot with action set-pieces for their own sake, but surprisingly little of Rise feels forced. The creative team understands that scenes of people (or in this case, monkeys) interacting can be just as thrilling as things exploding or colliding and that means the pacing of the film feels just right. Those expecting an all-out monkey assault on Earth might be blindsided by the numerous early scenes of Caesar being adorable and learning about his environment, but they’re worth it because they provide the base for what comes later. The relationship between Will, Will’s sick father and Caesar is given the time and investment it deserves – and that gives Rise every chance to be an above-average, even a great sci-fi movie.

Improving the odds is the outstanding special effects work. Special effects company Weta Digital should lock the FX Oscar away here – not only is the film thankfully in 2-D, but these computer-generated apes give unbelievable performances. Specifically, if there is one performance that warrants that much-mooted Best Motion-Capture Oscar category, it’s Andy Serkis and his computer wizard team as Caesar. The work here is simply outstanding, a real step forward. You understand every single emotion and thought that passes through Caesar’s head, you feel for him and anyone who can make me feel emotionally invested in a computer-generated chimp from start to finish deserves some sort of recognition. Not only that, but the other ape characters are also well rounded and deserving of your emotional attention. That’s a fair effort.

Faring less well in the acting department are those pesky humans. Even a day later, I can’t quite work out if this is a good or bland performance by James Franco – he’s completely without his trademark smirk, so that’s good, but also completely devoid of any other identifiable character traits. He’s not laughably bad or anything – but he’s so buttoned-down that I can’t help but feel he’s dialled it back on purpose to give Caesar/Serkis the limelight. That hurts the film slightly, as we end up caring more about Caesar’s general plight than we do his relationship with his ‘father’. John Lithgow has the showier role as a sufferer of Alzheimer’s and is admirable without being anything special, while Freida Pinto gets VERY short shrift as something barely approaching a character. Having the most fun by far is Tom Felton as Dodge Landon (Ha!) who gets to be involved in the film’s most thrilling (and potentially cheesy) moments.

On the way out of the cinema the discussion turned to what this film was actually trying to say, if anything. The storylines throw out all kinds of moral questions about science, ambition, motivation and revenge without exploring them with any real depth. It’s a film driven by plot, performance and technical wizardry rather than theme – one that gives you just enough to chew on to avoid being shallow, but stops well short of being deep.

My primary complaint involves elements of the film that enter spoiler territory, so I’ll speak in general terms. The elements of Rise that look to set up sequels and join the dots between this and earlier films, primarily concerning the humans, feel forced and out of step with the rest of the action. It’s a token gesture that pays off to some degree as the credits roll (the credits themselves are surprisingly chilling) but it’s hard to really invest in a plotline that is kicked off by a side character being phenomenally, soul-crushingly stupid. It should also be said that the ending doesn’t quite live up to all the fantastically laid groundwork but features several thrilling moments.

I think if it was watched in the wrong mood, the wrong light or on the wrong screen, even, Rise could seem a ridiculous, cheesy film. On the big screen, though, with next to no expectations, I bought into it and was handed a more than pleasant surprise. All the scenes featuring Caesar are just brilliant, and that makes up for the film’s other shortcomings. Rather than having a monkey on its back, the monkey actually does the carrying here. Refreshingly, Rise of the Planet of the Apes doesn’t try to do too much, it doesn’t have too many characters and it doesn’t have too many plot threads. I don’t love it, but I respect it as professional, thoughtful and highly skilled entertainment.

18.5/25

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The (Pod) Casting Couch - Captain America/Top 4 Sidekicks

The team (Shannon Harvey @Choc_Bomb), Andrew Williams and Laura Hewison tackle the new Marvel Flick Captain America: the First Avenger and talk about their top 4 movie sidekicks of all time. E-mail us at thepodcastingcouch@gmail.com !

           
           
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