I never thought this would happen but I’m in a serious need to update on news in the middle of the week because there’s just too much! First off, the Lammy’s are almost over, secondly, a lot of shows have wrapped up and last but not least, many new fall schedule shows are already making me anxious. So buckle up, it’s going to be a post with a lot of feel(ing)s!

First things first:

Yes, all 42 of you who voted for My Movie Alphabet to receive the Best Blogathon Lammy in 2013 – we did it! Yes. We. Did. And I can’t really express how thankful I am. Especially since the Best Blogathon/Meme category (there’s currently just one award announcement left) will most likely end up being the ONLY category the almighty 9 nomination (currently 7 win) worthy Fogs didn’t win in! *see image below*

But in all seriousness, I’m super happy to receive my first ever Lammy and congratulations to everybody who’s won one, or seven, this year. More importantly, I want to high-five everybody who was nominated – you are all great and inspiring bloggers!

(I posted it just minutes before Fogs won his 8th Lammy, so… I truly am the thorn in his winning streak!)

TV-BUSINESS

Since it’s that time of the year where shows are wrapping up their seasons, I wanted to ramble about some of them while the emotions are still running high. Currently I’ve seen four finales, Castle, Hart of Dixie, New Girl and The Mindy Project. Interesting is the fact that whilst the first three are definitely my favorites, The Mindy Project is somewhere in the lukewarm category. To be honest, I skipped some of its episodes in the middle of the season but I was curious to see how it had progressed towards its first finale. and I’ll get to that later. Anyway, here are my SPOILER filled thoughts:

CASTLE: 

I was a bit disappointed with how things culminated before the final episode. There was a big and emotional episode few weeks before, while Beckett was standing on a bomb, that felt much more like a finale. Though, I bet a lot of people are still emotional after that final scene which is cliff-hanger paradise but in all honesty, I was expecting something more out of it. Then again, it was probably hard to beat last years finale and the one before that – those were amazing! Still, I like Castle and mostly because Nathan Fillion is just so adorable!

HART OF DIXIE:

Now was it necessary to break up Zoe and Wade if the writers had this in mind for the season finale? I mean, can we just admit that Wade is awesome and forget that the writers wrote in that cheating bit to mess up his relationship with Zoe because it was probably the worst thing that the show did throughout the whole season. I skipped an episode because of it and I still haven’t gotten over it.. first time ever I’m seriously questioning the character development because other times I think, on some level, it’s justified but making Wade into a cheater was a BIG mistake. And now, they finish the season off with Wade confessing his love to Zoe!? Oh hell no! It’s just so wrong that I want to cry but I’ll still watch it though, I’m mad but I’ll watch it because there’s a lot of heart in that show and the whole Gilmore Girls vibe just sucks me in!

NEW GIRL:

We got what we wanted… and it took them just two seasons to give it to us. Are we happy now? Yes! But like with all canons, there’s a big chance it will blow up in our face before we can even digest what just happened. Nick and Jess are a cool couple, yes, they are quirky and a lot of fun and I ship them, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Nick and Jess kissing but I’m also worried. A lot of shows struggle with this situation of bringing THE couple together and whilst Friends did it in a spectacular way, Hart of Dixie totally messed it up and let’s not even mention Bones (I stopped watching because I don’t care anymore). What I’m trying to say is that I loved the episode a lot but I’m worried.. I’m super worried. PS: Taylor Swift wasn’t as bad as I thought but I got a feeling I had seen her before, I guess she reminded me of that chick in Valentine’s Day who annoyed me a lot… oh wait, it was her…. never mind.

THE MINDY PROJECT:

I stopped watching this show somewhere in the first half and then came back to it right before the end. It’s decent, it’s better than most comedy shows out there but with the amount of shows I watch some just slip through. The finale was still rather interesting and Mindy got herself into lots of funny situations before she had a very-very-sweet moment with Danny. Yes, it’s a ship and I’m not even sorry! I know that I will most likely regret this ship once it happens but I’m enjoying it now. The Mindy Project got a second season as well so there’s lots of hope for Mindy and Danny to actually get together. Though Mindy’s current boyfriend has that something something going on as well but I guess it doesn’t help that the first time I saw him was in the episode where he literally puked on himself. Just my luck.

NEW FOR FALL

I remember there weren’t many shows I was excited about last year (fall season), there was Go On but the thrill died off way too soon. Frankly, I can’t remember any new shows that I watched this season and loved – there must be at least one! – Arrow maybe… Yes, I think Arrow made it successfully into my schedule week to week and I guess Elementary, though I just caught up with it this week. Anyway, next year seems much more exciting for TV because FOX has gone mad!

There are other networks bringing out new shows but FOX seems to be on a serious mission with creating new shows. The ones that caught my eye are Sleepy Hollow, Almost Human, Rake, Us and Them, Enlisted and Brooklyn Nine-Nine – but there seems to be more. So basically, six new shows and all on FOX – I’m gonna go mad in the fall but I’m excited. Most of them probably won’t survive but hey, at least they’ll give me a chance to write a pilot review and I love writing those!

Sleepy Hollow:

I want this show to work but I’m scared for it. The premises is great, I love this out of place character who’s confused about Starbucks and the headless rider brings back so many good Johnny Depp memories! That brings me to the dilemma I have with Sleepy Hollow – the leading actor is a bit meh. All I want is a lot of mystery and I’m not seeing it in him.. too bad.

Almost Human:

Sci-fi and Michael Eely (Urban is also cool but Eely is my fav!) – I’m already sold but the fact that J.J. Abrams helped to launch this makes me even more thrilled! I’m pretty sure I’ll watch it and I’m certain it’ll end up being one of my favorites since Fringe ended (which reminds me, due to emotional reasons I haven’t watched the final season yet – I need to get my shit together!). But long story short, I’m already in love with this show.

Rake:

Greg Kinnear is probably the only reason I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt but it looks messy. Another law show but this time the lawyer is a gambling addict? Well, who knows but it doesn’t seem like something I’ll continue watching after the pilot but then again, I thought the same about Arrow and look what happened, I’m hooked.

Us and Them:

Jason Ritter from Parenthood and Alexis Bledel from Gilmore Girls – the casting is promising, the premises doesn’t sound as good but I’d like to give it a chance. PS: It’s based on a BBC show which I actually watched a bit and well, I didn’t finish the series so.. that’s already saying something.

Enlisted:

This looks such a fun show and a refreshing one at that – I don’t think there has been a comedy show revolving around soldiers yet.. Doesn’t matter, Geoff Stults is in it and ever since The Finder I’ve wanted to see more of him, and I finally can! He seems like such a nice guy, I hope it works out for him this time.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine:

Andy Samberg! That’s it.. that’s all I got and I think it’s enough.

——————————————————————————-

So this was my first ever mid-week roundup and I think it went pretty well. I haven’t posted and talked about trailers for a while but then again, there haven’t been many TV-show trailers. I left some newcomers out and focused only on the ones that will air on FOX cause Sunday’s post wants some trailer action as well!

PS: Leave me a reply which of the TV-shows tickles your interest and let the comments roll!

There are sort of spoilers but they are still the kind one preferably wants to avoid..

Before falling asleep yesterday, I contemplated on the things I wanted to say about The Place Beyond the Pines; needless to say, I couldn’t fall asleep for almost an hour. I kept thinking about the plot, the characters, the cinematography, the soundtrack and I was endlessly wondering how will I ever manage to express all the things going through my head. In a way, I’m still wondering but at this point, pushing back this review seems impossible.

The Place Beyond the Pines, simply put, is a story about fathers and the consequences of their actions which will influence their sons. What makes this story stand out is the way it is presented – there are three separate but intertwined acts focusing on different characters. In other words, The Place Beyond the Pines doesn’t just focus on one story, it presents two different lives connected by their collision which will eventually result in events taking place 15 years later. There’s no doubt that director/writer Derek Cianfrance, who’s Blue Valentine showed a very different take on love, tackles another complex story, the question is about whether the brave and unlikely choices in the narrative paid off in the end. Some might argue that it did not, but while I agree that the final act did present itself as the weakest among the three, the strength that The Place Beyond the Pines creates for me in the beginning could never be undermined. It’s a strong story that is brought on screen by an even stronger movie with amazing actors, an outstanding cinematography and a great soundtrack.

As the plot shifts the character-focus twice, the importance of a great cast is undoubtedly one of the key elements; luckily Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper do not disappoint. Gosling portrays Luke, the traveling stuntman, who suddenly finds out about the existence of his son and decides to quit his job. Though his intentions in the beginning seem good, the newly found friendship with Robin (Ben Mendelsohn) leads him to a path of robbing banks and his violent personality starts to surface. Still, Gosling’s ability to create sympathy for the bad guy is astonishing and one can’t help to root for Luke even when his actions are morally wrong.  That skill is especially crucial for that moment where Luke’s plot and the events in the first act come to a sudden halt. The viewer is likely to experience a wide range of emotions when the first act ends and Avery (Bradley Cooper), a police office with a brand new son of his own, is presented as the new leading role. That first character perspective change is powerful, for me the first emotion was shock, then came sadness and finally the feeling of disappointment towards Luke as well as Avery. Eventually, the emotions and the fact that it was an unfair situation for Luke, seemed to create an intricate moral dilemma for The Place Beyond the Pines – was Avery the bad guy?, was Luke the good guy?… does it even matter?

Because of this, there are many obstacles for Cooper to overcome when Avery is first introduced, for one, he has to create an immediate connection with the viewer who by then has spent an hour getting to know Luke. Secondly, he has to be able to portray a character who’s actions can be justified, since he did make a mistake. And lastly, Cooper has to follow Gosling, which is not an easy thing to do. For me, the narrative change was surprising but it never felt wrong and it was almost comforting to see Cooper take the reigns from Gosling. The fact that the second act with Avery focuses on police corruption (a story line that features a very solid performance by Ray Liotta), was almost refreshing as it introduced a completely new plot element to the movie. With it, the moral dilemma, that surfaced from the collision between the first two acts, thickens and becomes even more complicated as we see more of Avery’s good side. By the end of Avery’s act, The Place Beyond the Pines has created a situation of bad vs. good, with a bank robber that has temper trying to do good for his son and with a police officer fighting corruption to redeem himself from making a fatal mistake. It all concludes in act three which takes place 15 years later between the sons of the two men who only met once and yet, that single moment shows to have great consequences in the end.

Third act, as I already said, felt the weakest but it certainly doesn’t mean it fails The Place Beyond the Pines; on the contrary, it ties everything together and presents the complexity of the movie with integrity. If one was to look for flaws, there is one – the strength of Gosling and Cooper was not really met by Dane DeHaan as Luke’s son Jason and Emory Cohen as Avery’s son AJ. Despite of this, the story itself is strong enough to carry the plot to its final culmination where Jason confronts Avery. Could the consequences have been more shocking and cruel in that scene – maybe, but as it was pointed out to me by a good friend, living with the knowledge that you made a mistake which eventually built your future, is far more painful.

The power of The Place Beyond the Pines doesn’t end with its story nor the actors; there is also the notable ease to the cinematography by Sean Bobbitt, who continuously works with Steve McQueen. Bobbitt has a good eye and the power of imagery is truly shown with in the first minutes of the movie but also with various other scenes from different acts which are presented through very meaningful parallels. One of the examples is the the image above; on the left, Luke is driving his motorcycle, on the right, his 15 year old son is riding his bike – they will never meet each other but (for me) the visual connection offers comfort that they are still somehow connected. There are many similar moments as well as details that connect throughout the movie but seeing those two scenes next to each other creates something special and I can’t seem to find the words to describe it. Though imagery is something I feel more comfortable with, there’s no way I’m going to look past the soundtrack. The Place Beyond the Pines has a great soundtrack because it not only features a piece by an Estonian composer (couldn’t leave out the nationality pride) but it ends with a song that is so fitting that I get goose pumps just thinking about it.

Still, like with every movie, there are opinions that go against everything I’ve said in this relatively long but hopefully interesting review. But, in spite of it, I’m hopeful that if one starts to piece apart The Place Beyond the Pines, the hidden meanings that are left to be discovered by Cianfrance and Bobbitt would change their minds. Yes, it’s extremely ambitious with its take on the narrative and its numerous perspective changes, not to mention the way it views the father figures, plus it does decline in the third act; but it’s still really good! Frankly, I’m a bit insulted when The Place Beyond the Pines is being undermined with descriptive words such as flimsy, a mess, melodrama and overrated - clearly these people have not seen enough young adult dramas to know what a flimsy melodramatic mess actually is. Then again, I’m not here to pick fights, so I’ll just say that I see Cianfrance’s ambition as interesting rather than a fault.

Though mother’s day isn’t celebrated universally on the same day in each country, I still wanted to create a very pink image to accompany my Linked post. Besides, when at least one mother will get my wishes via this post, I would be very happy.

WEEKLY THOUGHTS ROUND-UP

• This week was rather eventful with me visiting some friends out of town (finally, some socializing with peers) and getting a Marvel overdose.
• I re-watched Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers and then got to see Iron Man 3. Woo!
• Really-really liked IM3 and I’m not gonna lie, a lot of it had to do with Robert Downey Jr – he is simply the best on screen, off screen and in fantasies as well!

• IM3′s credits were extremely long but I was glad to see about 5 people besides me and my friend staying for the final scene. Shout out to those Marvel fans who know better to watch through the sea of people behind the production (there were so many names) for that extra scene which quite nicely tied in the voice-over thing (thank god!).
• Saw The Great Gatsby’s trailer in the cinema and I must say, it feels super powerful! I think it’s the power of the songs that gets me.. so I think the soundtrack will be amazing!
• Still haven’t reviewed The Place Beyond the Pines (though, I had a fairly interesting conversation about it), and 42 needs a review as well.
• Keeping my promises is becoming difficult as I still don’t want to watch Hemlock Grove, while the idea of reviewing a TV-show I don’t like is very delicious.
• Watching TV-shows is still my #1 activity with me getting through Broadchurch in a single day and catching up with Elementary like a champ. Loved the first one and starting to develop strong feelings for the second one as well.
• Broadchurch is a British crime mini-series (that became an actual series) with David Tennant as the lead. I’m definitely gonna review it but I don’t know when exactly. Soon probably.

• Tennant’s Scottish accent needs its own bullet-point.
• On a more personal note, I started to pack for my Ireland-summer. Mostly because I wanted my mom to get off my back (she’s the plan a month ahead kind of person) but since I want to be very minimal with my luggage, I kind of need to plan ahead. I hate when traveling is made uncomfortable by the amount of bags, so I’m going for a medium sized suitcase and my laptop bag – call me crazy but I think I can do it!
• Reading hasn’t been going so well, mostly because of TV-shows, but I hope to finish the crime book soon. I just need a day to sit down and read… currently I don’t have that day as I’m behind with blog stuff.
• Lammy’s are upon us and so many great blogs have received their awards. Blogathon category, only one I’m up for, is still left to be announced – fingers crossed!
• Also, I got two very exciting possible opportunities regarding the movie criticism world. I’m gonna try to grab on to both, one would be now and the other after the summer but it evolves work so… I need to get my working hat on (which I don’t have) and my coffee ready (which I have!). Wish me luck!

LINKS

After seeing Iron Man 3 I was finally able to read the positive reviews by Love and Squalor and Terry Malloy.

Though I haven’t seen The Great Gatsby, I still kind of cheated and read the first sentence of Dan’s the Man review.

Films and Coke saw Trance and showed off it’s interesting cinematography.

Mud is another one of those great movies that shouldn’t be overlooked, And So It Begins… writes why.

Cinematic Corner took on Soderbergh’s final movie Side Effects – she wasn’t impressed with.

Biutiful is still in my to-watch list but after Mr. Rumsey’s spoiler free review it won’t stay there long.

SONG OF THE WEEK

This is pretty much old news but I’m always behind when it comes to music, not that I haven’t heard it before, I just started to love it this week. As it happens, it was used in Arrow’s latest episode (22 – Darkness on the Edge of Town) and well, when a song is used very well it just catches my ear and so did Imagine Dragon’s Radioactive.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

It’s gonna be a special one because it’s kind of selfish – highlight of this week was my Beard post. I thought outside the box and I wanted to make something fun and yet meaningful, so men with beards seemed to be the best way to go! And with one post Love Me Some feature became much more versatile and not gonna lie, I love it.

And I think Sofia’s comment summarizes the post the best:

*it sure is*

*Quote by William Shakespeare

Love Me Some feature has so far been about actors, actresses and a director but today I had an idea to dedicate this post to somebody much much more versatile. He has been around as long as man and he will most likely survive all of us… Sometimes he is subtle, barely noticeable stubble, but at times, he is right there in your face in a good way (all too often also in a bad way but I won’t get into that) and I’m pretty sure he is currently making a comeback:  ladies and gentlemen (and my best friend who gets a special shout-out due to her unstoppable love for him), I present you, Mr. Beard!

SOME OF HIS BEST PERFORMANCES

BROMANCE PERFORMANCES

INTENSE PERFORMANCES

SEXY PERFORMANCE

FANCY PERFORMANCES

IRRESISTIBLE TO MEN PERFORMANCE

OTHER GREAT PERFORMANCES

DON’T MESS WITH THIS PERFORMANCE

MORE AMAZING PERFORMANCES

SIMPLY NO WORDS PERFORMANCE

*dead*

Filed under: Extra Tagged: Beard, Chris Pine, LMS, Love Me Some, Men with beards, Michael Fassbender, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Robert Downey Jr, Wild Wednesday ]]> http://mettelray.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/love-me-some-beard/feed/ 30 mettelray BEARDD irresistable cn_image.size.nikolaj-coster-waldau woah chris_pine-sitting_on_sofa touching george and ben paul zach-galifianakis-gq-may-02 mrt url ryan trio COTY INC ACTOR EWAN MCGREGOR chuck-norris-uzis Ryan-Reynolds-ryan-reynolds-683861_800_600 elrgf justin theroux beard http://mettelray.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/beautiful-creatures-2013/ http://mettelray.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/beautiful-creatures-2013/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 11:00:16 +0000 mettelray http://mettelray.wordpress.com/?p=7261 ]]>

Whilst I’m definitely not the person to be watching young adult supernatural movies, I seemed to have one of those self-torturing moods that resulted in me literally wasting my time on teen romance. Beautiful Creatures, in a long run, is indeed a waste of time because it doesn’t really offer anything new and refreshing and since I have read the novel it’s based on, I’m especially disappointed how this one turned out.

To be fair, Beautiful Creatures was almost destined to be raw (which I remind you is not the lowest rating) – the book was messy and was dragging out its anti-climatic plot what seemed to be forever. Though the movie took the liberty to change things as well as take out the unnecessary (which is obvious), it still remained a mess and quite frankly, boring! But hands down the biggest mistake was its running time: two hours is just way too much for a movie as uneventful as Beautiful Creatures but I can’t really say that an hour and thirty minutes would have made it any better.

Beautiful Creatures starts with Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) narrating to set the mood and then I believe he does the voice over thing once more in the end. Those young adult movies really love their narrating but I’m not a fan (unless it’s justified in a way). Anyway, in a place where almost nothing ever happens, something happens when the new girl Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) appears. From the very start, she is not liked because her uncle, Macon Ravenwood (Jeremy Irons) is of course the town’s creepy guy.  Things happen, love takes place and problems surface as Lena reveals that she’s a caster, which is just a fancy way of saying witch, and she’ll be claimed on her 16th birthday as dark or light. Now, it sounds like it could be a thrilling adventure for the two young lovers with magic and stuff, but nothing really happens. I mean, we have these crazy bible kids as well as shattering windows, mysterious relatives and dungeon-libraries, but there’s not much going on really. You would think that at least something exciting happens in those two hours but honestly, it’s dull. On a positive note, there were a few moments of humor and great come-backs but it just wasn’t enough.

The only positive aspect to Beautiful Creatures, and the reason I rated it a bit higher than I wanted, was the strong and much more experienced supporting cast. Imagine Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis and Emma Thompson together outshining the young lovers, well, with Beautiful Creatures you don’t have to imagine, it just naturally happens. Surprising is the fact that these three even took on this movie but I’m not gonna pass judgment because I couldn’t have survived without Irons and Thompson. Davis didn’t really get good screen time but hey, at least they emerged two characters in order to give her more to do. Emmy Rossum was also present and I loved her! She was the only character who at least looked and acted interesting with the ability to captivate me just enough to care just a little bit for Beautiful Creatures. In terms of character development, I think Rossum’s caster was the best in the movie and the leading girl really couldn’t measure up to her level. Then again, I’m a fan of Rossum on Shameless US so I might not be objective with this – but I don’t care.

In the end though, Beautiful Creatures does nothing with its strong supporting cast because it focuses on the lack of chemistry Ehrenreich and Englert have on the screen. Sure, they get their moments but with a story that is so messy and a plot that eventually doesn’t even give them a celebratory hug/make-out session, what can you really do? At least the surroundings and cinematography looks alright, though it could have been much better considering the things the movie left out from the book. Honestly, everything could have been better with Beautiful Creatures… So finally, as I’ve spent days reading the book and two hours watching the movie, I’m astonished that I’ve now also spent couple of hours writing this review – the book and the movie are both bad but it’s even worse that I have the completed knowledge of its bad qualities from page to screen. I should really stop torturing myself.

This last week has been sort of explosive because Mettel Ray Movie Blog turned 3 years old! *does a happy dance on the table inspired by Chandler Bing*

WEEKLY THOUGHTS ROUND-UP

• Since I skipped last week’s Linked post (as my motivation was running even lower than usual), I’ve now kind of emerged the two weeks into one. Not that it would make any difference since I haven’t done nothing extraordinary what so ever – except maybe watching The Place Beyond the Pines which I liked a lot!
• Also suffered through Beautiful Creatures and a Hallmark romantic comedy Remember Sunday with Zachary Levi. You guessed it, I watched the Hallmark one because of Levi and he was the only good thing about the movie.
• Started watching Hemlock Grove and haven’t made passed it’s third episode.

• The show’s plot is all over the place but Bill Skarsgard looks creepy good here and there and the werewolf transformation was awesome. Will try to finish it for a review next week but I’m guessing I need a lot of willpower to go through it.
• Also re-watching Two Guys and a Girl which has Ryan Reynolds and Nathan Fillion (since season 2): such a great underrated comedy series.
• The Good Wife post, that was basically an essay length praise, was an excellent way to get back to my writing wagon. Now I keep itching to write but not just blog posts, fiction as well. Have I mentioned I love(d) to write, haven’t done it for a really long time but getting the itches again and this makes me wonder – should I pick it up again…
• PS: Currently reading Child. 44 which is being made into a movie with Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman and Joel Kinnaman. Inspired by an actual serial killer in Russia who was executed for killing over 50 people. Such a nice bedtime story.
• Upcoming week will be pretty hectic, lots of traveling and pre-Summer shopping, but I’m pretty sure I’m now back on my regular posting schedule.

LINKS

After seeing The Place Beyond the Pines I’ve been going back and reading the reviews: Rorschach Reviews liked it and Lights Camera Reaction wasn’t very impressed.

Reviews From a Bed gives Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain a high score.

When I read Terry Malloy’s 180 degree rule post I was brought back to my film analysis class – the technical side of film making still spikes my interest.

Despite the lack of appeal The Host had on me, I agree with Cinematic Corner that Saoirse Ronan is a rising star.

A+ rating to an indie film Upstream Color by And So it Begins…

Not a fan of Tom Cruise but he might actually get a chance to prove me wrong as Love & Squalor loves Oblivion.

SONG OF THE WEEK

I’m not the best music person, I personally think that I fail at understanding the deep power of a soundtrack and a score but I’m trying to change my ways. So every now and then I get hooked with music and this week’s song happens to be today’s repeat button victim The Wolves (Act I and II) from The Place Beyond the Pines soundtrack:

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

This decision has been made without an inkling of doubt and without a single bit of questioning, this week’s highlight will be the best thing that happened on New Girl this season, which will not be the Nick and Jess ship but the guest appearance of my boy (I’m just gonna go ahead and claim him as mine) Dylan O’Brien. There, I said it! And yes, I’m probably sounding like a mentally unstable fangirl but it’s Dylan! Woooo! *does something very inappropriate which should never be verbally described nor explained*

This post is rather an introduction to the series than a critique – so feel free to read all of it as it has been written with an attempt to avoid spoilers. But I’m warning you, it is quite the novel I have written here so

I recommend coffee and lots of it!

As some of you might already know, I watched the entire series of The Good Wife in a really short period of time and I’m not even sorry. Sure, everything in terms of the plot is now a bit chaotic in my head but I figured that since I spent around 60 hours watching it, I should at least find the time and the means to put down some coherent thoughts. Besides, I really like The Good Wife and therefore I want to share my enthusiasm!

First off, I started watching The Good Wife because I needed something entertaining and my friend had been messaging me about this show in particular for quite some time. I believe she used the following phrases: “It’s so good! Oh my god, it’s so good!” – I mean, one can’t deny that those kinds of words spark a bit of interest, so obviously I had to watch it… until I had miraculously caught up with her and finished the show before she did. My god, I’m a crazy person when it comes to TV-show marathons but hey, when it’s done, it’s done.

STORYLINE

Considering the fact that I watched all four seasons, it’s almost impossible to summarize it without giving away too much and while presenting a decent plot but I’ll give it a try. The series starts with a scandal, Peter Florrcik (Chris Noth), the former states attorney, has ended up in jail after having sex with a hooker and being accused of corruption. His wife, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) is the protagonist of the series and she, despite her husband’s wrong doings, has stayed loyal to him throughout this mess. So in order to support herself and their two kids, Alicia goes back to work, after 15 years of being a house mom, to Stern, Lockhart & Gardner as a litigator. During the series a lot of things change, obviously, and whilst Alicia is taking on different cases in each episode, there are also different types of relationships going on inside and outside the firm. In addition, a lot of the guest roles are consistent throughout the series, which makes things more fun and interesting. Plus, as if law isn’t enough, there will be a lot of politics involved in the later seasons.

One would say the plot’s appeal is in its ability to have interesting cases in each episode while having multiple season long story lines going through. We have personal drama on all levels, not just revolving Alicia but with other characters, the obligatory partner issues that are consistent with most of the law-oriented TV-shows, as well as the political side regarding the campaign managing by Eli Gold (Alan Cumming).

CHARACTERS

As I’ve already mentioned, Alicia Florrick is the leading lady in The Good Wife and she’s definitely one of the most interesting individuals in the entire show. In the beginning, as a viewer, we question her choices in her personal life but we can’t help to cheer her on in the court room. As the series progresses, we get to see her reasoning and her struggles to be a good wife to her husband Peter. Ironically, though I should dislike a cheater, I really like Chris Noth’s character – I think part of it has to do with the fact that we never see Peter as a cheater but witness his transformation back to a loyal husband and a great father. Besides, Margulies and Noth have a certain chemistry on screen that just feels right and compatible, almost as if they themselves have been together for years.

Since law is the main theme of the series, I’m not gonna go into Alicia’s home life (it is interesting, don’t get me wrong, but it would be too much), instead, I’ll be focusing on the characters in Stern, Lockhart & Gardner. Two of the partners in that law firm stand out, Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) and Will Gardner (Josh Charles), both very appealing characters throughout the series due to their very loyal personalities. I think Diane is very similar to Alicia except that she chose her career over a family life and Will, well.. what is a television series without a lawyer who’s not just smart but also handsome and witty? – the answer is of course “nothing!”. Then again, there’s also Cary Agos (Matt Czuchry) who starts off as Alicia’s friendly competition and turns into a person who is most likely my favorite of the series. To balance the manly handsomeness, we have the occasionally seductive Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi) as the law firm’s mysterious personal investigator.

Since I have four seasons of knowledge regarding these characters I’m pretty much convinced that the casting has been on point with all the leading roles as well as guest stars. Margulies as Alicia is brilliant and those little moments when we get to witness her softer emotions are just priceless. Noth offers great support as well as Cumming, who is most likely the scene stealer in The Good Wife. Charles as Will has that look, I can’t describe it, but it just oozes confidence and I can’t imagine anyone else in that role. Baranski as Diane stands out especially in those moments where she gets side-tracked by a certain gentlemen and it’s hilarious! Panjabi is Kalinda and Kalinda is Panjabi which is all I have to say. And finally, the handsome and, I’m not gonna lie, my personal favorite Czuchry… Oh, Matt, I loved you in Gilmore Girls and I love you in The Good Wife and nothing else matters.

GUEST ROLES

As I mentioned previously, the guest roles stand out for various reasons: firstly, they are consistent and secondly, they are very well cast. Though there are numerous judges that come to mind there are also attorneys and prosecutors that deserve a shout out. But, best things first, ladies and gentlemen, Michael J. Fox as Louis Canning is by far my favorite returning character in The Good Wife! I just love that man and even though his character is more or less a bad guy, I can’t fault him on anything really. Another stand-out and a really close favorite is Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth Tascioni who is just out of this world. At first I was waiting for a disaster since she was just so weird and then I fell in love with the fact that she was so cooky but in a talented way. Also memorable was Mamie Gummer’s Nanzy Crozier, the kind of character you really dislike because she is liked in the court room. That kind of false pretense of innocence was really annoying but on the other hand, Gummer managed to portray it well which makes her a believable villain.

When it comes to villains, nobody can deny that Dylan Baker’s Colin Sweeney will have all the awards. He is one of the few bad guys Alicia constantly defends because trouble just follows that man everywhere. There’s a lot of controversy when it comes to Sweeney but his twisted mind-set and his unpredictability is what I like about him. I also like Kurt McVeigh, portrayed by Gary Cole, who is a forensic scientist working on some of the cases as a material witness (I think I’m using this term correctly but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong). Most of his appeal is to do with Diane Lockhart and the fact that they are the political opposites with McVeigh being a Palin supporter. Never thought I’d like a character who liked Palin but I guess there’s a first time for everything.

RELATIONSHIPS

There are MANY centric relationships that stand out in The Good Wife but I’ll do my best to pick out the ones that are more prominent. As mentioned many times before, the first and a crucial relationship is the one she has with her husband Peter. Alicia and Peter have a very complicated relationship in the beginning of the series, in a way she has forgiven him but there’s still a certain wall that separates Peter from her and the kids. As the show progresses, their relationship goes through ups and downs because of many reasons that are also massive spoilers. I can say this, I was surprised how supportive I became towards their relationship and even now, I’m kind of rooting for them.

Though it is kind of spoiler-esque, I can’t write this post without mentioning Alicia’s relationship with Will. When we first meet Will, we find out that he is an old friend of Alicia’s and there is no doubt that the two have history. Contradictions arise not just in Alicia but also in the viewers (or at least this was the case with me) when the inevitable idea of a love triangle surfaces quite early on in the series. Though the show is much too sophisticated for this type of behavior, I want to be Team Will so badly and yet, Alicia is Alicia because of her principles and those principles, not to mention the strong connection to her husband, are telling her to be a loyal wife.

The Good Wife’s less about romance and more about friendship relationship is the one between Alicia and Cary. Without a doubt, this is the ship everybody should be rooting for from the beginning because this friendship will take you to all kinds of places. There’s a quote by Cary in the end of season 4 that is just spot on in terms of describing these two, I can’t spoil it but I’ll say that it’s worth finding out! As Alicia and Cary start off from the same place in terms of law firm hierarchy, The Good Wife creates an interesting journey for them separately as well as together.

The stand-out friendship between Alicia and Kalinda represents the girl-power aspect of The Good Wife. Indeed, they as well have hard times but as do all friendships. It is interesting to see the dynamic between Alicia and Kalinda because they are so different when the series stars off. Alicia’s personal life is public knowledge due to the sex scandal while Kalinda is very secretive about everything, it’s not until season 3 and 4 when Alicia gets to know Kalinda for who she really is and this will challenge their friendship.

Putting Alicia aside for a moment, I want to mention the core partnership in The Good Wife which is of course Diane and Will. When it comes to them I have to use a quote from the show because that is pretty much the best and the only way to describe these two: “We are like the perfect couple… without the sex.” They truly are the kind of partners that work on all levels and there’s a certain balance between them, even when the firm is going through some difficult times here and there.

FINAL VERDICT

I really like The Good Wife and I can’t wait to see more after the summer. The law aspect is definitely the thing I go for the most, since it has a very investigative side to it, but I can’t help to cheer for the relationships that the show brings to the table. From romantic encounters to true friendships, The Good Wife is a smart, fast and witty show with intriguing characters and interesting story lines. Though there are moments when things feel a bit dragged out, no show can completely avoid this anyway, it keeps things fresh by putting its characters through life changing events just when you thought things had cooled down.

As already said, the regular cast and the guest stars are strong and fit together very well. Though only the important ones were mentioned here, there are many more characters going through Stern, Lockhart & Gardner and the court rooms (including Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Michael Eely, Scott Porter, Denis O’Hare etc.) throughout the four seasons, not to mention Alicia’s family. Is this my favorite law show on television at the moment? Well, I’m an avid fan of Suits since the beginning and I can’t see any show reaching its level of appeal (especially when it comes to the cinematography) but The Good Wife is a close second for sure.

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