Tag: Contrarian Corner (11-20 of 21)

Dec 6 2011 06:00 PM ET

Contrarian Corner: The '90s were horrible, nostalgia be damned

by
Tags: , , , Music, TV

The opening credits sequence of Dec. 9′s Young Adult is suffused with ’90s nostalgia. Charlize Theron plays a writer of a young-adult literary franchise that sounds quite a bit like Sweet Valley High. She finds a mix tape created for her by her high school boyfriend — and is there anything that more precisely defines everything we are supposed to love about the pre-digital era than The Mix Tape? Because she apparently lives in a bizarro universe, Theron’s car still has a tape deck. So she puts in the mix tape and starts singing along to Teenage Fanclub’s “The Concept,” which I’m sure is a song beloved by anyone who was precisely 17 in October 1991. While the credits roll, the camera fetishistically zooms into the cassette, the tape going round and round and round. It feels a little bit like we’re being set up for an extended trip down memory lane to Nostalgia Town, with a brief stopover in Twee Village and a hearty lunch at the Gosh-Wasn’t-Generation-X-Secretly-AWESOME Café. But as the credits continue, Theron continues rewinding the tape to the beginning, and listening to “The Concept,” and rewinding and listening, rewinding and listening. It’s no longer a nostalgic vision; it’s a vision of nostalgia steadily approaching madness.

Now, nostalgia isn’t a bad thing. Oh wait, actually, strike that: Nostalgia is a horrible thing. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 29 2011 05:29 PM ET

Contrarian Corner: Robin doesn't belong with Barney

by
Tags: , , , Television, TV
how-i-met-your-mother

Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Should I duck now? I should probably duck (tie) now. I’m sure you’re all preparing to hurl plenty of slaps my way. But still, PopWatchers, I can’t deny these horrible feelings I’m feeling. After seven seasons of wishing, hoping, and praying that Barney and Robin would get together once and for all on How I Met Your Mother, I’ve had to admit to myself: Robin just simply does not belong with Barney.

I feel this not only as someone who has handed out (and received) plenty of romantic advice in my life, but also as a TV watcher. Admit it: Part of you cheered when the couple broke up after they experimented as a couple in season 5. As boyfriend and girlfriend, Barney and Robin simply didn’t spark on screen. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 25 2011 09:00 AM ET

Poll: Is it quite time to give thanks for awkward 'X Factor' host Steve Jones? [Pause.] Thanksgiving.

by
Tags: , , , , , , , , , Reality TV, The X Factor, TV
Steve-Jones

Image Credit: Nino Munoz/Fox

A lot of people seem to dislike this uncomfortable-looking attractive man — whom I’ve been calling Stevecrest — because he’s exceedingly abrupt as he tries and fails to ring around the circus that is the U.S. version of The X Factor. But you guys! I can’t help it. I am beginning to love Steve Jones.

This is a man so endearingly bumbling that he has called 15-year-old Astro “a nice man,” (without sarcasm, but it was a few weeks ago) and Howie Mandel a “top man,” (with just a bit of sarcasm, I believe). One time, after musical guest Rihanna had succeeded in slowly backing away from Steve and finally escaping, he called after her, “You glorious, glorious lady!”

I love that everything he has to come up with on the fly is just so…off. On Tuesday night, faced with the task of getting the judges to stop bickering about Drew, he bellowed, “THIS HAS TO STOP RIGHT NOW, PLEASE.” [Pause.] “THANKSGIVING.” And he bellows EVERYTHING.

As EW.com reader Josh put it, “He’s like a male, Welsh Samantha Harris.” Admittedly, this isn’t the most ringing endorsement I’ve ever read, but I look at it like this: Steve Jones is the only person on The X Factor who consistently makes me giggle. That’s definitely something. (Try harder, Simon Cowell! P.S. I don’t believe anything you ever say.)

If you need a much more convincing reason to give thanks for Steve Jones that might really nail it on the head…. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 22 2011 01:50 PM ET

Contrarian Corner: Do you already have Muppet fatigue?

by
Tags: , ,
muppets_320.jpg

Image Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Last week, your college roommate called you out of the blue. You hadn’t spoken to him in, let’s say, 12 years. It was great to hear from him; you ended up chatting about old times for a good two hours before you finally hung up the phone. It was a delight. The next day, he called back. It was still nice to talk again about that time you did that thing in the quad, etc, etc. You thanked him for calling and promised to catch up next time he was in town. The next day, your college roommate was in town. He called you at the office and insisted you meet for drinks. Turns out he looks the same — though his voice has changed a little bit. At the end of the night, he said you’ll have to get together again soon — next time with the wives. Sure, you said, sounds like fun. The next day, your college roommate and his wife knocked at your front door just before dinner: “Surprise!”

This is how I kind of feel about The Muppets. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 15 2011 02:19 PM ET

Contrarian Corner: In defense of Adam Sandler

by
Tags: , , Movies
adam-sandler

Image Credit: Tracy Bennett

Despite the snarky blogosphere’s best efforts, I just can’t be convinced to dislike Adam Sandler, and I’m not sorry about it. Sure, his last few movies — including Jack and Jill, which debuted last weekend — have been almost unspeakably terrible, but I just simply can’t help but respect the man.

Maybe this is because, as a box office junkie, I tend to judge actors based on their drawing power, rather than their craft. Looking at the numbers, it’s impossible not to think Sandler is brilliant.

The man has headlined twelve $100+ million comedies in the last 13 years, and he’s produced a number of other successful comedies like Zookeeper and Paul Blart: Mall Cop through his own Happy Madison production company. Basically, he makes whatever movie he wants — and rakes in heaps of cash doing just that, regardless of quality. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 8 2011 04:07 PM ET

Contrarian Corner: Why 'Enlightened' is the best show nobody's watching

by
Tags: , , TV

Laura Dern and Mike White in HBO's Enlightened (Credit: Nicola Goode)

There’s a general feeling among cable TV fans that television needs to be dark in order to be taken seriously. And I get that. Most of my all-time favorite shows are about meth dealers and undertakers and stylishly dressed alcoholics. So there’s something pretty brave about a show that’s not cynical or sarcastic or defeatist, one that’s not set on a street corner in Baltimore or inside Al Qaeda’s torture barracks, and still manages to be absolutely heartbreaking. HBO’s Enlightened is the most genuinely moving TV show that’s debuted this fall. And none of the characters get cancer.

READ FULL STORY »

Oct 28 2011 04:15 PM ET

Contrarian Corner: 'Whitney' is better than '2 Broke Girls.' You heard me.

by
Tags: , , , , , Television, TV
whitney

Image Credit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC; Sonja Flemming/CBS

Before this year’s fall TV season began, pretty much every critic and member of the TV-watching public assumed that 2 Broke Girls would be the better of the two Whitney Cummings-created shows. 2 Broke Girls boasted an enviable spot on CBS’ Monday comedy lineup, Kat Dennings’ indie star power, and Michael Patrick King’s Sex and the City sheen; the eponymous Whitney had a comedian with unproven acting chops and questionable likability as its lead, an annoying (and ubiquitous) ad campaign, and terrible early buzz. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 18 2011 03:38 PM ET

Contrarian Corner reluctantly welcomes 'How I Met Your Mother' over for an intervention

by
Tags: , , , , About Last Night, Television, TV

HOW-I-MET-YOUR-MOTHER

Image Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS

How I Met Your Mother has always been a little bit like the Lost of sitcoms: It’s a great show with a rabid fan base that picks up on every little clue along the way, hoping everything will piece together when we finally see the big picture at the end. But perhaps, in this seventh season, the show is a becoming a little too much like the dearly departed ABC series. Because I’m finding myself echoing a frustration many felt during Lost‘s run: It seems HIMYM isn’t sure which direction to head in. This season, the series seems, for the lack of a better word, a bit lost. (And Ted’s kids are really just in heaven and the yellow umbrella will matter about as much as the goat, in that it won’t matter at all.)

That being said, let’s be clear: I am still hopelessly devoted to HIMYM and will continue to love it until the very end. I just wanted to sit it down in Contrarian Corner, have a chat, and let them think about what they’ve done for a while. This is purely out of love! It’s for your own good, HIMYM.

First things first, the season got off to a great start with the Victoria curve ball… until fans quickly realized that while she may be part of the big picture, she’s definitely not the mother. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 14 2011 07:20 PM ET

Contrarian Corner takes on Terrence Malick's 'Tree of Life': My head hurts

by
Tags: , , Movies

Last week, I wrote a review of Terrence Malick’s latest star-studded art film, The Tree of Life. I didn’t like it. Actually, I kind of hated it. And for my sins, some ew.com commenters tarred me “a philistine”, “a dips—,” and “dense”. Which I’m totally fine with, by the way (he said, reaching for the Kleenex). Seriously, I knew when I wrote my review that I was in the minority on the film — its 84 percent Rotten Tomatoes positive rating proved that much. Still, watching Malick’s admitedly easy-on-the-eyes epic felt like the Emperor’s New Clothes to me. In the end, for me at least, its ravishing, museum-quality images added up to a big fat goose egg. Maybe you agree with me. Maybe you think I’m a dips—, too. Either way, let’s air this sucker out in the judgement-free confines of this week’s installment of the Contrarian Corner.

Let me start off by saying that I have nothing personally against Terrence Malick. READ FULL STORY »

Oct 5 2011 06:24 AM ET

Contrarian Corner takes on 'New Girl' wedding episode: Something borrowed, something blew

by
Tags: , , , , , , New Girl, Television, TV
New-Girl-teeth-Zooey

Image Credit: Greg Gayne/Fox

So far, the first season of New Girl has ruined Dirty Dancing, “Bust a Move,” bangs, and my faith in human beings. And last night, the hit Fox sitcom added something else I love on that list: Weddings. You can read about last night’s episode in Lanford Beard’s regular recap of New Girl here, but based on EW’s comments sections, there’s a large portion of readers not being served every Wednesday morning by  a traditional recap. I’m talking about those of you who have declared a loud “I Don’t (Get It)” to Zooey Deschanel’s quirky new series. Well, dear friends who find yourselves watching the series despite your absolute hatred for it, welcome to the Contrarian Corner. Like a disgusting and dangerous Long Island Ice Tea made more attractive with a perky pink umbrella, New Girl is a show we cannot help but return to from week to week, despite the fact that it only leaves us with a headache and immediate regret. So let’s convene, air our grievances, and slap our foreheads while groaning under our breath, “It’s (sigh) Jess.” READ FULL STORY »

Advertisement

TV Recaps

Powered by WordPress.com VIP
Who will win 'Dancing With the Stars'?