Dollhouse

Dollhouse is one of many Fox network's unfortunate cancellations. Joss Whedon created the show and it first came out early 2009 and was canceled near the end of that same year. The series was allowed 2 seasons with a total of 27 episodes if you count the unaired pilot. Each episode is about 45 minutes.

Dollhouse is about a secret business known as the Dollhouse which caters to the rich and powerful. The Dollhouse uses its dolls to fulfill the fantasies that these rich people have. The dolls are people who have signed their lives away for 5 years. After that time they will be returned to normal with more money then they could even dream for. During those 5 years their minds are wiped and they are turned into living dolls. These dolls can be programmed like a computer with memories, skills, abilities, and personality traits. For example, you want a beautiful woman who knows how to fence, likes to dance, and knows some amazing sexual techniques. They can do that. It should be noted that one of the things most people have a problem with is the fact the dolls main purpose is to essentially be million dollar prostitutes. The rich pay for a fantasy that usually involves some sort of sexual experience whether it is a straight up dominatrix you want, or the seduction of a student. People didn't like the idea of a show about prostitution which is unfortunately one of the reasons it was ultimately cancelled. But while it does have prostitution as a recurring theme within the show it is not what it is actually about. The main point the show portrays is the dangers of technology and how easy it can be to abuse it. As well as the threat it can pose to a society if used for ill gains.

The story revolves mostly around one specific doll named Echo (Eliza Dushka). Echo is an anomaly and continues to become more and more odd as the show continues. Eventually she compounds all of the uploads she has been given to become a single entity with over 40 minds in her head. Each with their own thoughts and abilities. Echo wants to free all the dolls and eventually bring down the Rossum Corporation which is controlling the whole Dollhouse and its technologies.

The show has plot twists, fight scenes, intrigue, sabotage, and much more. The show also casts some amazing actors such as Alan Tudyk, and Summer Glau, both of which also starred on another Fox Network cancellation which was also created by Joss Whedon called Firefly. (review will eventually come). However I would like to make special mention of 2 of the shows actors in particular. First is Fran Kranz who played the role of Topher Brink. Topher is a highly intelligent man who is the mastermind behind programming the dolls in this house. He is a highly playful person who in a way considers the dolls as his toys. He eventually does start to feel some moral problems and the actor does quite well at portraying that emotional struggle because while Topher is the most intelligent person in most rooms, he is also the most childlike. The other special mention goes to actor Enver Gjokaj who plays another doll named Victor. Victor gets to play the largest range of characters. He is a mob informant, Miss Lonely-Hearts sex doll, a brilliant and yet childlike scientist(yes he plays Topher) a soldier, and more. And each role I keep forgetting that its all the same actor. He is extremely good at his craft and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him in episodes.

I really enjoyed this show. It was clever, the acting was top notch, the plot was fascinating and kept me interested in what would happen next. It also had some sexy parts when we would see Eliza Dushka dressed up for her next engagement. I am also curious what would have changed for the show if it hadn't been cancelled even though they did finish the show. I give Dollhouse a 10.5 out of 11.

PG Porn

Now don't knock this just cause Porn is in the Title. This is by far one of the funniest series I have ever watched. Brought to us by James Gunn on the Spike TV network. Each episode is about 4 minutes long, with a total of 8 episodes.

No, this is not actual porn. Not softcore or hardcore. This is essentially a porn parody. As each episode actually says at the end. "For people who love everything about porn...except the sex."

First off this show is about taking a relatively mainstream actor like Firefly's Nathan Fillion, Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum, Firefly's Alan Tudyk, Gilmore Girl's Sean Gunn, and The Office's Craig Robinson. Then paring them with a popular porn star like Aria Giovanni, Belladonna, Sasha Grey, Jenna Haze and Bree Olson. Each episode has these characters who are based in various scenarios such as a construction worker, Charlie Brown, a mechanic, etc. The sexual innuendo is fairly high, however it is tastefully done. No tits, to cooch, no penis. Some implied touching and a single drawn penis.

I found this series to be absolutely hilarious. The acting was bad, however that was bad acting on purpose to further the joke. The scenarios were comical, the resolutions even better. I give this show an 11 out of 11. Short, to the point, funny, a must see.

Eureka 7 & Eureka 7 AO

Today's is a 2 part review. Of course both parts go well together because they are based off each other.

First off both are anime shows centered around a young man who gets thrown into working with some company that eventually ends up being completely different than first assumed. They both pilot a Mech known as "The Nirvash" which is the base model of all other Mech units in the world.

Eureka 7 centers on Renton. A boy who falls in love with Eureka, an odd girl with turquoise hair. Eureka is a part of the Gekkostate, a rogue group whose ideals are to survive any means necessary and to find the perfect waves to surf. The second taking priority of just about anything else. The show takes a whole bunch of twists and turns sending the story all over the place without being confusing. We learn that the members of Gekkostate are all trying to atone for previous wrongs in their lives. These wrongs confuse and anger Renton until he finally gets over it. The crew also has a habit of messing with their newest member. Which of course is Renton.

The story also reveals that 10,000 years ago mankind had to flee Earth due to the Scub Coral which was covering the planet. Additionally we learn that the Scub Coral is an intelligent being which wanted friendship with humans, but also required the planet itself to merge with. The Scub Coral took the planet and eventually covered the entire surface with its coral-like surface. 10,000 years mankind wandered the stars and resettled on a planet which happened to be their original Earth. Only this time the surface was completely different. This "new" world was quickly settled upon and the humans discovered the atmosphere itself enriched with particles allowing a person to surf on the skys themselves.

Through the story we learn secrets of Eureka, the crew and of Rentons family which have all disappeared. The Mech fights are usually quick and involve little to no actual hand to hand combat. Mostly just shooting guns and dodging missiles. But i still found them to be rather entertaining. The show has 50 episodes each being about 22 minutes long.

Eureka 7 AO takes place in more present history. It also is the time period when the planet was first being invaded by the Scub Coral. This follows Ao, a young boy who is very similar to Renton. We learn he is the son of Eureka. She traveled back in time and gave birth to him 10,000 years before her own time so he would grow up in a different environment. Ao joins Generation Blue's Team Pied Piper. They fight Secrets. We learn later that Secrets are like inter-spatial white blood cells. They are their to try to destroy the disease of the Scub Coral on the planet. But in the process they end up killing thousands of humans and alter huge parts of history. For instance a Scub Coral explosion occurred just before WWII in Tokyo. Because of this Japan never attacked Pearl Harbor, and subsequently the US never nuked Japan. The fight scenes are very similar to the original Eureka 7 fights. Guns and dodging missiles. The series has 24 episodes each being about 22 minutes long.

In the end i enjoyed the original more, but Ao was still entertaining. Eureka 7 receives a 9.5 out of 11. And Eureka 7 AO receives a 7.5 out of 11.

Family Guy

This is a highly offensive, rude, sometimes racist, sexist, Megist, and yet it is also absolutely Hilarious. The show first came out in 1999 and is still running. It is currently on its 11th season and is closing in on its 200th episode. The show has been offensive toward almost every religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, and just about everything else. Which personally i feel that if you make fun of everything then you are specifically targeting anyone or anything. However specific episodes do tend to target something for that episode. The show can be pretty intense when they have violent episodes. And the show contains a lot of sexual humor. This is an animated series and watching it on television it is rather edited. Many episodes contain curse words including fuck. Which as I said, you only hear most of that if you watch it somewhere other than television. A couple of the middle seasons even show Peter's penis and a few other peoples body parts. But as they are animated, and not in a particularly sexual fashion it would not classify as pornographic by most standards.

The show centers around Peter Griffin and his family. Peter is a fat, alcoholic, small penis, mischievous, lazy person. He is most identifiable by his chin which looks like a pair of testicles. His wife is Lois who is a thin, large-breasted, red-haired, woman who learns to fight quite well. She is often shown throwing excitement into the sex life of their relationship. They have 3 children, the oldest being Meg. Everyone hates Meg. Meg is always wearing a pink hat, she is thin and even though people are constantly joking about how ugly and undesirable she is, she ends up dating quite a few people including the neighbors boy, the Mayor Adam West, and the local pharmacist's boy. At one point they do address the problematic relationship with her family. Meg even called everyone out and yelled at them, they realized how terrible they were and the family completely fell apart. Which led to Meg accepting the role of being the family's Lightning Rod of Hate. In this roll she is often told to shut up, farted on, mocked, and all kinds of unsavory treatment. Next up is Chris. He takes after his fathers genes in being fat and having a ball like chin. Chris is interestingly enough the smallest family role. He is only centered in a few episodes. However he does get to shine when it comes to the 3 Star Wars episodes as he is the role of Luke Skywalker. Lastly there is Stewie. Stewie is psychopathic and ridiculously intelligent, oh and did i mention he is a baby. He is constantly trying to kill his mother out of spite. He has invented hundreds of machines and devices, and his family doesn't know anything. The show fluctuates on whether or not the family can actually understand him or not. Except Brian the Dog. Brian is the family dog. He is able to talk and usually walks on 2 legs. He has sex with people and only on rare occasions even acts like a dog. Brian is a snobby failed book writer who is constantly contradicting himself. Him and Stewie often are seen on various "Road To..." trips where they travel in time, dimensions, or through fantasies and legends.

There are other characters that are friends, enemies, or family that frequent the show. The show also throws random moments about the characters actually being actors. Jokes about going on strike or hating the lines they receive occur frequently.

I find this show to be quite funny on most occasions. However many of the ruder jokes make me groan and their idea of comedy on occasion. But all in all i give the show an 8. I find it very funny, but at times it feels they are trying a little too hard for the laugh.

Supernatural

Today's show is my first reviewed show which is still currently running. Supernatural is a wonderful science fiction tale of 2 brothers fighting the evils of the world. These evils of course are of a supernatural nature. The show first aired in 2005. It is currently on its 8th season and currently has 156 episodes. The most recent episode came out on November 14th, 2012 and was titled "A Little Slice of Kevin." This show has moderate language, some sexual content, some sexual humor, and a shit ton of violence and gore. While the show may not show a persons throat being ripped out, they love showing blood splatter. A lot of blood splatter. Sometimes they show blood splatter even when what occurred would not have actually yielded blood splattering. But I'll get into that in a bit.

Supernatural is a drama. The creators consider the show to be a modern western. The good guys ride into town, defeat the bad guys, kiss the damsel, and ride off into the sunset rarely ever seen again. Which is actually how most episodes are formatted. 2 brothers Sam and Dean Winchester are what are known as Hunters. Hunters fight and kill/vanquish anything that is attacking innocents(and sometimes not so innocent). The things they kill range to a large variety of things from Werewolves and Vampires(not sparkly ones, but blood thirsty murderous evil ones), to Demons and Ghosts, and even to Angels and gods. Not God God. No one knows where he is. But gods ranging from Pagan to Egyptian gods. The show incorporates many different cultural beliefs and creatures. They use Native American lore, Pagan Lore, Roman and Greek Lore, and in later seasons a whole lot of Christian Lore. The various evil entities even form different types of sects, covens, and political groups. The Demons have hierarchy, the Werewolves sometimes have packs, and the Vampires have families.

Sam and Dean have an interesting relationship. Their father raised them both to be Hunters. But Sam didn't want that life, and he never really did. The series starts with Sam off at college, and Dean searching for his father who has disappeared. Dean convinces Sam to help him on a hunt, but when its all over and Sam goes back to school his girlfriend is brutally murdered before his eyes in the exact way their mother died. With the feeling of nothing to return to, Sam decides to join Dean and travel the country hunting. The two of them travel back and forth in their trusty stead; the 67 Chevrolet Impala. Unfortunately the Impala has to be completely rebuilt a few times throughout the series. But the true emotional value isn't fully revealed until Season 5. In the trunk are a large variety of weapons, fake IDs and materials which are used for protection, summonings, and concealment.

The show twists and turns throughout the years. Each season generally having a theme or ending goal. For example, Season 2 deals mostly with demons, Season 4 is all about Lucifer and preventing him from being able to escape from Hell. Season 5 is mostly about conflict between brothers. Season 7 is all about Leviathan and their worldwide plans for mass destruction. Even though the season as a whole has these themes or ending goal, not every episode in the season actually has something to do with the end. You could consider these other episodes to be kind of like filler episodes. Or episodes in between all of the seasons main plot points. Essentially showing how the brothers spend their time when they are searching for new leads into how to prevent the catastrophic evil.

Comically the series introduces a Prophet of God whose job as Prophet is to write a new testament of sorts. This new testament that Chuck writes is the story of Sam and Dean Winchester. In other words Chuck writes a book which completely and accurately records the events and actions of Sam and Dean as they fight the forces of evil. Chuck writes these tales and then publishes them under the book series title of Supernatural. Essentially publishing a book for each episode of the series. Supernatural has a small number of fans, of which are all classically nerd obsessed people. Some of these fans even write fan fictions about the characters. Sam and Dean come across these books eventually and the fan fictions as well. Quite a few jokes are mentioned about these fan fictions and how most of them show Sam and Dean as gay lovers. All of this is in reference to real life fan fictions and real life fans of the show. Additionally through the fans a funny little note comes up that Sam and Dean should apparently should keep their weapons on a bungee, because in almost every episode in the show one or both of them get thrown into a tree, or a wall or something, and evidently drop or lose their weapon.

Spoiler Alert For The Whole Next Paragraph. Highlight to Read.

Everybody Dies. Seriously. Everyone in the show dies. Literally. I have told people this before who are just starting to watch the series and they of course laugh and think i am joking. But I am not. Everybody dies eventually(except Garth...at least not yet) Sam, Dean, their Dad all die and go to Hell. Luckily for Sam and Dean they both are brought back out of Hell. But they did die. They experienced Hell. You meet other Hunters. And all of them(except Garth) die. Some people are brought back, some remain on Earth as Ghosts, but most of them die horrible and often painful deaths. And sadly the fate for almost all Hunters is a trip to Hell after death. Why? Because every Hunter is a Murderer. Most of the creatures they kill were humans at some point. And Hunters eventually all become ruthless and "heartless." They protect innocents, but they kill to do it. While i do love this show, it does start to be a little bit ridiculous when a season ends with Dean going to Hell or Purgatory and a year later gets out. Though Purgatory is explained better than the Hell escape. But it always comes down to Sam and Dean being more important than everyone else.

Another aspect of the show that comes up quite a bit is Psychic powers which Sam gets, but then loses, but gets back. And all kinds of crazy stuff, but luckily that ends eventually. And just so you know the episodes that tend to be the most violent, the most bloody gory are the ones with Witches or Pagan Gods. The Witches curse people so that they die horrible, bloody deaths. In one episode a guy eats a whole bunch of candy. After ingesting it he feels a pain. So he puts his hand in his mouth and pulls out a razor blade. Unfortunately that's not all. The blade is attached to a line, he pulls and pulls eventually pulling out like 3-4 more blades which of course were being pulled out from his stomach and through his throat. Needless to say, he died. The Pagan God episodes are bloody because they all long for sacrifice and worship, need i say more.

I almost forgot to talk about the blood splatter. If you watch the entire series you should note that almost every episode, if not every episode(i currently can't think of a single one that didn't have a blood splatter at some point, but there still might be one) has blood splatter. Someone gets bludgeoned, blood splatter on the wall or floor nearby. A Vampire attacks a victim, blood splatter on the wall behind them. A car drops off a block and traps the mechanic underneath, blood splatter on the floor and wall. And the blood splatter that i will note as the most ridiculous and doesn't make sense for the scenario goes to Episode 16 in Season 7, "Out With The Old." A girl accidentally buys a pare of cursed ballet slippers which make you dance to death. She put them on and dances and dances. Finally at the music crescendo blood splatter all over the walls. Which you find out later that she danced till her feet broke off and she died. I cannot fathom a reason why blood would splatter in that manner on the wall unless she was flicking her stumps repeatedly in the direction of the wall. But i digress.

This show is fantastic. I love the suspense and character development. The fact that they essentially break the 4th wall with fan fiction and random time travel. And a creature known as a trickster doing whatever the fuck he wants to and being mostly invincible while he does it is fascinating. At one point the brothers break through a window only to land on the set the actors are filming on. This throws the brothers characters into our world, and that they are just actors. While it is a "Drama" it has a lot of comical episodes which range from Groundhog's Day Scenarios to being on the Hollywood sets and mentioning the TV Series Gilmore Girls of which has a shared actor. Sam plays the boyfriend on Gilmore Girls whose name funnily enough is Dean.

As I said, I love Supernatural, it is well written. Many episodes are like watching a horror movie, but it 45 minutes. But the show does bring up some ridiculous leaps and bounds, often times leaving gaping hole which you can't help but ask, Really? I give Supernatural a 9.5 out of 11. But as it is still ongoing, and has been planned to officially end after Season 10, we shall see how it fairs in its final moments.

Scrubs

Scrubs is the television show that i quote the most. I have seen every episode at least 4 times(except season 9). Some of the episodes i watched over 20 times like the 100th episode with a Wizard of Oz theme. The series had a total 9 seasons with 182 episodes, each being around 22 minutes long.

What a run of a show. It should be stated that Season 9 was its own series. Most of the characters left and those who stayed their role was changed. But I will get to Season 9 later. First this is a comedic medical show. You start the show as an Intern with John Dorian(J.D.) and his first day working at Sacred Heart Hospital. J.D. is our main character and most of the episodes we not only get to see his social interactions but also hear his various thoughts and witness some of the constantly ridiculous fantasies. These fantasies allow for random images of events that would never happen, like hundreds of Asian Ninja Surgeons fighting for a briefcase, testicle disco balls while pimps dance with some hoes, and the unforgettable ping-pong match between a Ninja and Sasquatch. The show additionally follows the lives of JD's best friend Christopher Turk(chocolate bear)(a lovable and extremely skilled black surgeon), JD's constantly on and off love affair Elliot Reed(white, very white. Oh and super neurotic), and Turk's eventual Dominican wife Nurse Carla Espinosa(a sassy latino who takes shit from no one). Oh and JD's unwilling mentor Dr. Perry Cox(an angry, fear inducing, syllable extending, and alcoholic man with all kinds of family problems and issues), Dr.
Bob Kelso(dean of medicine, old, and a bastard coated bastard with bastard filling). These characters are the ones we see the most of their home and social lives. However there are plenty other side characters with scenes and lovable moments. A vindictive and ingenious Janitor, a dopey and depressed failed Lawyer, an in-your-endo and sex crazed Surgeon, an ex-wife who tortures everyone due to boredom, and of course the sassy Jesus loving Nurse. To mention a few of course.

The show is all about the antics and interesting scenarios of JD's the first 8 years of JD's professional medical practitioner. Weddings and divorces, births and deaths, love and hatred, with a dash of drama within the midst of comedy. Most episodes are comical and happy all the way through but usually once or twice a season is a dramatic episode. Comedy is still in the episode, but the episode ends on a sad note. Usually this entails a major mistake or death, sometimes both. As you watch the series you get a sense for the characters, you see their external and internal selves. Some may be mean and angry most of the time, but occasionally there is the creamy and delicious center which is nice and caring. All of the characters are extremes in some way or another, whether they are too childish or too proud. Which by the way all 7 deadly sins can be seen in most episodes if you pay close attention to it.

Season 8 has a fantastic finale. This was originally going to be the full series finale, but they created another season afterwards. But the season 8 finale was great, characters returned for one last visit whether they were dead or just around for a little while and one character finale gets a name...maybe. This finale left me with a feeling of completion. JD leaves Sacred Heart Hospital, moving on with his life to somewhat unknown futures. The producers however decided to make another season. They completely changed the setting and character roles. Sacred Heart becomes a part of a Medical School. Turk is a professor in surgery, and Dr. Cox teaches general medical classes. JD is gone as well as almost everyone else. New characters are introduced and new relational struggles sprout up. Season 9 was okay. But it didn't have the energy and cleverness of the rest of the series. I felt they were trying too much to get the laugh, whereas the other seasons got the laugh with seemingly no effort. In the end i really didn't enjoy season 9 very much. I still watched them because i have so much respect and love for the series. But once was enough for me.

Because season 9 is so vastly different from seasons 1-8 i will rate them separately. Season 1-8 of Scrubs were fantastic, i was constantly laughing, or feeling for the characters through their struggles. I give the first 8 seasons a wonderful 11 out of 11.
Season 9 however gets a 6 out of 11. It wasn't the worst thing i have ever seen, but it was a complete let down after the other seasons.

The Vision of Escaflowne

This is another of my favorite Animes. This series came out in 1996 with 26 episodes. And in 2000 a movie was also released. Each episode is about 22 minutes, with the movie being about 1.5 hours. This is one of many Animes that involve Mechs, or large machines used to fight in a multitude of situations. But almost a constant is that Mechs need a human pilot to ride within to fight. The animation is also well done, shadowing and intensification makes it look amazing.

Escaflowne follows teenager Hitomi Kanzaki. She is your average schoolgirl, runs track, and does Tarot card readings for friends. But all her life her Tarot predictions have been a bit more accurate than most people. It goes through her teen angst and wanting her first kiss from Amano, a sexy older classmate. She makes a bet with him if she can run really fast then she gets that kiss. When suddenly big blue light and she runs into Van of Fanelia. Then a huge, fat, fire-breathing Dragon appears. Hitomi has a vision and thus saves Van's life. Van kills the dragon and takes its heart(energist). When suddenly both him and Hitomi are transported back to Van's world known as Gaea. And all of that is just in the first episode. You learn about Van and his background. Hitomi is constantly in teen angst about liking Amano(eventually she pretty much completely forgets about him), liking Van, and liking the Valiant Knight Allen. Catpeople, dog/wolf people, all kinds of odd animals, and odd customs surround her and overwhelm her for awhile. But she eventually adjusts. You learn that Escaflowne is an Ispano Guymelef(guymelef being the term used for mechs in the show). A very powerful and well built Guymelef that can turn into a flying dragon. Oh and if you pilot it too much you create a physical connection to it, meaning that when the Guymelef gets cut, so do you. If your Guymelef gets stabbed in the arm, you also get stabbed in the arm.

The show continues with 3 main antagonists. One is sad and doesn't actually agree with the Zaibach Empire but does their bidding. One is insane, his insanity increases exponentially as the series goes on. This just makes him less and less predictable and more and more dangerous. And the last one is the mastermind old guy who wants all of his dreams to come true. Which involves complete chaos and destruction. Allies are introduced, by the end you see that all the girls in the show are pretty angsty with liking multiple guys at the same time. Figuring out who to be with and so on. The guys are slightly oblivious to this/ignore it completely and let the girls pretty much instigate the moves. Big Guymelef fights, murder, visions, dreams, Tarot card themes, burning cities, pervert mole-man, and a Badass guy who can wield a sword at least twice as long as he is tall. He was awesome, taking on Guymelefs with a sword that a Guymelef would use. And he beats those he gets to. Oh and did i mention Atlantis? There is a lot of stuff to deal with that and what it really was and so on. Its pretty cool.

So the fight scenes are great, the teen angst gets to be a bit much at times. But the music and the battles are really good. Especially the music, it pretty perfectly gets you into the scenes. Making you ready for the destruction and pain that is going to occur. The show has some fascinating ideas and philosophies.

Some side information for you. The show did not do as well in Japan as the producers hoped. But worldwide, especially in the US the show did fantastically. Out selling many other Gundam shows at the time. As well as many other animes that were released at about the same time.

Like I said, this is one of my favorite anime shows. With the intense battle scenes and the connection you eventually feel for the characters make this a wonderful anime to watch. I give it a 10 out of 11. The teen angst is the only real downside of the show. But its ignorable at times.

Additional side info for you. The movie is also very well done. The animation is more intense. It is pretty obvious that a lot more time and effort went into its production. The movie however is not an extension of the show. It is separate. The real interesting thing about the movie is that it features almost all of the characters from the series, but in different roles. The movie also incorporates psychic abilities instead of Hitomi's visional type things. The movie is far more violent, and shows far more blood. It is fast paced and several scenes are stunning. The movie also incorporates a deity-like prophesy character being The Wing Goddess. I really enjoyed the movie, and i especially enjoyed seeing familiar characters in new and sometimes awesome roles. Many of the characters in the movie are far more Badass than they were in the series. The movie can be seen on its own and still be good. But i would recommend watching the series first.