Undeclared by Judd Aptow

Again it’s the funniest, smartest, most poingant shows that get canceled.  Judd Aptow’s second ill-fated television series follows the freshman year of Steven and his friends in the same style as Freaks and Geeks.  What would have happened to Aptow’s carreer if these series had gotten the full run they deserved?  Would there be The 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up?  Eh, who can say.

Steven is your typical geek in high school looking to shed his old image for a much cooler persona at college.  He doesn’t quite succeed.  What he does though is to develop a series of friendships that are meaningful and taxing just like real life.  Steven is shacked  up with the hottest guy on campus which doesn’t make his quest for a girlfriend any easier.  As the show progresses so do the charectors.  This is an all around hysterical show!

Supernatural Season 1 by Eric Kripke

Did you ever see Are You Afraid of the Dark? Did you grow up on Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?  Then OMG is this series for you.  Sam and Dean Winchester are brothers with an unusal side job, they hunt ghosts and demons and just about anything that goes bump in the night.  Fueled by the incident of their

Dean Winchester

mother dying at the hands of a demon, the seek revenge on the thing that tore their family apart.  Each episode the brothers encounter some supernatural event and a hot girl that seems to be ties up in it somehow.  As trite as that may sound, the formula works.

The over arching story is that Sam and Dean along with their Father (who comes and goes) are seeking the demon that killed their mother.  They get close but

Sam Winchester

the problem with hunting demons is that they can take over any persons body.  There is tension in the family because Sam went off to college abondoning Dean and his Father.  However, after a few close calls and saved lives most is forgiven.

The show is a fast paced thriller that sucks the viewer into the story.  Definitely worth checking out (your local library should be able to get it for you).

Metalocalypse by Tommy Blacha & Brenden Small

Dethklok, the greatest act in the world, has come to DVD.  The first season of Metalocalypse is, in my humble opinion, the funniest show on Adult Swim since Sealab 2021 (Murphy episodes).  The story follows the world’s most popular death metal group, Dethklok.  The band is made up of 5 not so bright individuals in a quest to “make everything metal”.  Meanwhile a secret government agency keeps an ever watchful eye on Dethklok and attempts to thwart their popularity and thus their grip on the world.  However, the band goes on, oblivious to the dangers that threaten them as they deal with band issues like: what kind of present do you get a bassist that hates everything, internal disputes betwaeen the rythmn and lead guitarist, and getting a GED.  As I’ve said the show is hilarious so I’ll leave with you a quote from frontman Nathan Explosion “Go forth, and DIE”.

Freaks and Geeks by Paul Fieg

The year is 1980.  Both Wiers have entered into the hell on earth known as public High School.  Lindsay is the straight A, mathlete, honor roll student; well, that was last year anyway.  And Sam, her brother, is about the smallest freshman on the face of the planet.  With Lindsay’s new friends, the freaks, and Sam’s old stand-bys, the Geeks, 1980 will be a year to remember.

This was one of the most consistently funny shows on television, EVER.  Judd Aptow’s production will show were most of the actors from his hit movies came from: James Franco (Pineapple Express), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), and Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).

The show starts strong when we discover Lindsay’s grandmother has passed away and she begins to revaluate everything in her life.  Sam is desperate to begin his new life as a freshman as anything but a geek.  However, just because the Wier’s have decided to change there lives doesn’t mean the world is ready for them.  Every charecter is expertly realized from the parents to the teachers and of course the hippie guidance counsler, Mr. Rosso.  Don’t let this series pass you by.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip by Aaron Sorkin

Studio 60 was the best TV show to come out in a long time. Having already been a huge fan of Sports Night I knew to expect intelligent and comedic writing, however, the show far exceeded my expectations. The show was canceled after one season and a number of reasons have been sited: ratings, the time slot, the cost, but I think Sorkin probably pissed off a lot of his “bosses”. From the first episode when the head of Studio 60 gets on camera and berates every exec, producer, and industry worker that promotes the dumbing down and voyeurism of television I knew this show was a platform for Sorkin. He managed to get on the soapbox without being preachy. As always Sorkin’s writing is spot on.

As great as Sorkin’s writing is, the cast is where Studio 60 shines. From the first episode you feel like Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) and Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford) have been working together forever and you’re already a fan. As the series progresses Matt and Danny’s back story is fleshed out and you can’t help but get sucked in, they are underdogs that finally get a shot on top. The three main actors on Studio 60 give you that behind the scenes look at preparing for a show along with the problems of balancing real life with stage life. Steven Webber as Studio Executive, Jack Rudolph, gives a remarkable performance; first you hate him and by the end you love him.

This show is smart and witty, sad and enlightening, and totally entertaining. It is a real shame that it was only kept for one season, however, it was Aaron Sorkin and anything to good just can’t last on television.

Firefly by Joss Whedon

Quite possibly the saddest show on television. Not that the series was a sad, quite the opposite, the series was phenomenal. What is sad is what the FOX network did. First they butchered the show, refusing to air the pilot (which introduced all the characters and explained why they were all together, lack of this explination was an early criticism of the show). Then they aired the shows in the wrong order, assuming they understood the shows vision more than the director. Lastly, they killed the show after airing only 11 shows, Whedon has said that he planned for the series to go on for seven years. Firefly, you are sorely missed! Sorry for the lament, now, on to the review.

Firefly is THE best science fiction series EVER created. I dare you to watch and disagree. It is the story of a crew from a spaceship that is on the fringe; the fringe of the law, the fringe of society, the fringe of space. The captain is former ranking officer in “the war” (war between the alliance and the federation) and he was on the losing side. He names his ship after the last battle he fought in, Serenity, and decides to go into the illegal freighting business. His crew are people who have fought alongside him or have been acquired along the way, having no place else to go. The story follows the rich plots of the characters. Each episode seems to have the crew carrying a different illegal item, some times supplies, one time cows and even a sister; but what the viewer hooks onto is the back story of characters. Whedon has created a world that is easy to fall in love with but impossible to forget. The western quality to the show with the backdrop of space is the perfect juxtaposition for fanatics to find something to obsess over.

Aeon Flux by Peter Chung

For those of us old enough to remember the glory days of MTV, when they marketed to an audience with a couple of brain cells, you’ll no doubt have a special spot in your heart for Aeon Flux. She made her debut on Liquid Television and captivated the mind of the every high schooler on the fringe.  Aeon is a agent and sometimes nemesis of Trevor Goodchild, your run of the mill dictator. As you hear in the shows intro she “takes no sides”. This is the point in which I would give you run down of the story, but guess what, there is no story. Aeon Flux is 10 episodes of Anime genius, the show is action packed and each episode contains a plot but don’t read into it too much because it’ll change by the next episode. A great show that helped get Anime into America.

Lost Season 1 by Abrams, Lieber, Lindelof

I sincerely wonder if the title of Lost is about the survivors or the viewers. I’m not complaining, haters of the show constantly criticize the confusing and twisting plot. I think Lost is a lot like Jaws in that you don’t see the monsters and you feel just as terrified as the characters. For those of you who have totally missed out on this phenomenon, let me fill you in: Plane crashes, most survive, camp on beach, others come, radio french chick, polar bear?, camp in jungle, creepy music, another plane!, some die, raft made, baby born, creepy whispers, “others” coming, hatch found, Sun speaks english, Black Rock, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42, dynamite, hatch opens, roll credits. OK now we’re all caught up.

As a show, Lost ranks among the greatest. The suspense is great, I can’t believe people watched this week after week, I highly recommend the DVD. Once you get started it’s ridiculous, you won’t get any sleep. Because everyone asks, Charlie is my favorite character in season 1, I think is the most sincere eve if often misguided. If you’ve ever thought about trying the show, do it, take the plunge, you won’t be disappointed.

Plus, check out the bonus features and watch Jimmy Kimmel tour the Island, pure comic genius!

Dexter & Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeffry Lindsay

After one episode I knew Dexter would be one of my favorite TV shows, after the first season it stands only behind Twin Peaks as greatest shows of all time (probably only in my mind). This series is fairly faithfully based on Jeffry Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Dexter Morgan is a serial killer, but don’t let that get to you, he’s a good guy! He has a relationship, a career, and his own place…he is by no means a weirdo. Though he may have his dark side, he also has a code; Harry’s code. These are a set of rules that Dexter lives by. He never kills anyone that doesn’t deserve it. As a blood splatter analysis he is able to find people most deserving of his personal attention. The book is fascinating read and the series just brings these characters to life! Do not miss this one!

Welcome!

You have stumbled upon the Plainfield (IL) Public Library’s Young Adult/Teen review blog, whether by accident or not, you are here so you might as well look around. If you need a good book, movie, graphic novel, or CD you might just find something worth checking out. If you are in our library system you can put books on hold through the catalog in the blogroll. Thanks for stopping by!